Reservations
by Vekrote
Summary: Res·er·va·tion {rezərˈvāSH(ə)n} noun :An arrangement to have something held for your use at a later time, such as a hotel room. :A feeling of doubt or uncertainty.
1. Something New

**-Reservations-**

Chapter 1 – Something New

The word " _perfection_ " is often used loosely—thrown around with little regard and used to describe something that may be, to anyone else, _far_ from perfect. This, however…

 _This._

This was perfection.

The early morning sunlight, almost hesitant in its warmth, crept around the outer edges of the highest peak first. The light wrapped curiously around its uneven shape, tracing each and every nook, cranny, and crag in turn as it found its way ever downwards. A small river, diverging and joining into itself in irregular time, captured the fleeting rays and reflected them in every-which direction as it flowed.

The light, bolstered and spurred on by the river, continued its leap down. It passed hill after glistening hill, whose very forms seemed to change and rush out of the way of the brilliantly radiant, now unstoppable energy of the day. This, truly, was perfection.

It was ethereal in it's beauty.

It was powerful in shape alone.

It…

"It'll be twenty-two dollahs," the portly elephant behind the counter belted out in a thick midtown accent, tucking a spoon into the towering bowl of chocolate-drizzled ice-cream.

Nick was shocked out of his silent appreciation of all things frozen dairy as the bowl was shifted, causing the morning light coming from the window in front of him to hit him full force. Bringing a paw up to shade his eyes, he began to fish around in his neatly-pressed blue uniform pants. Patting around his pockets as if he'd forgotten something, he paused and looked up at the elephant. The beginnings of a smirk playing at the edges of his muzzle. "Oh, no… Are you kidding me…?"

The elephant's face remained completely blank, his eyes staring straight through the sharply-dressed officer, boring holes into the wall behind him. His folded paper soda-jerk hat began to slide lazily off to one side as the smaller mammal cocked his eyebrows quickly upwards, his shoulders hunched forwards in expectation. The corner of Nick's mouth tugged even farther upwards as he quickly dipped a paw into his back pocket and smoothly slipped out his billfold. "Not having any of it today, huh Jerry?"

The pachyderm's only response was to reposition his hat with the tip of his trunk, the same emotionless _I'd-kill-you-if-I-wasn't-already-dead-inside_ stare still present.

With practiced precision, Nick swiped out three crisp bills and spun them up and onto the counter. "It'll be funny some day, I promise!" He laughed, a genuine happiness replacing his usual smirk as he refolded his wallet and pulled down the large plastic bowl of ice-cream. He took a quick moment to settle it comfortably in his arms, filled almost half as tall as he was with a technicolor assortment of frozen goodness, before turning on a heel. He looked over shoulder as he made his way out the enormous door to the shop. "See ya same time next week, J! Keep that chin up!" He made double sure to whip his tail out of the way before the door eased closed behind him, a painful lesson he had learned a few weeks earlier that had cost him a cone and no small amount of personal pride.

It was the only time he had ever seen Jerry smile.

As painful as it was, the memory made him smile as he quickened his pace, not wanting the bowl in front of him to melt before he made it to his destination. Weaving carefully between the few mammals that were out and about this early on the sidewalk, he let the cool morning air wrap comfortably around him as it toyed playfully with the edges of his uniform. Completely on autopilot, his mind wandered.

 _Zootopia,_ he thought to himself. He exhaled sharply in a sort of almost laugh, shaking his head. _Where anybody can be anything._ If you'd asked him two years ago where he thought he'd be today, his answer wouldn't have ranged much farther than 'same old same old', yet against all odds—and maybe his better judgment—here he was, carrying a large bowl of _legally acquired_ ice-cream straight towards the one place in the city that he used to avoid like the plague: the ZPD headquarters. Him! Nick Wilde! Hustler extraordinaire!

Ahem. _Retired hustler extraordinaire_ , he quickly corrected.

Well, semi-retired. He was working on it. Look, he wasn't involved in anything too major. All he took part in now was a few friendly bets between him and his fellow officers, and _maybe_ the occasional bit of quick-thinking, fast-talking wordplay to get out of janitorial duty.

He drew himself out of his thoughts just in time to round the corner of the block, balancing the bowl carefully as he walked onto the patchwork field in front of the ZPD building. It had been close to a year now since he'd graduated from the academy and took on the badge, yet he was still trying to turn off that part of his brain that screamed at him to turn tail and run as far away as possible. The building had always been just a distant reminder that he was never on the right side of the law. He had never been close enough to take in just how impressively beautiful it was.

At the entrance of the building, massive rough-hewn tan stone columns supported a crown of sweeping, monolithic spires that looked like they could reach out and touch every inch of the city. The windows, spaced evenly between the columns and reaching just as high, were polished so perfectly that they may as well have been mirrors. He smiled at his reflection as he walked towards the large revolving doors, giving himself a little wink from behind his mirrored aviator shades. He walked quickly up to the welcome desk in the center of the large foyer and loudly set the bowl on the counter, startling the portly cheetah behind it.

Benjamin Clawhauser's eyes were as big as dinner plates as he looked from Nick, to the massive bowl, and back, his paws balled up on either side of his face as he let out an excited squeal. Speaking of friendly bets…

"When you're right, you're right. A fox knows when to pay up." Nick smiled calmly with that same unchanging 'cool' expression he always wore. He and Clawhauser had a running bet over one of the TV shows that they both watched. It was just some dumb crime-drama in the forgotten late-night block, but the long time between episodes allowed for so much rampant speculation between them that making a few bets here and there about who would turn out to be the killer was just too darn easy. A bet that, in this case at least, Nick had lost.

The cheetah was completely lost for a moment before he shook himself out of it. "Oh, hey!" he began cheerfully, still casting longing glances towards the towering bowl. "Chief was looking for you a bit earlier. Told me to send you his way."

A single eyebrow peeked itself over the top of Nick's sunglasses.

The cheetah raised his hands dismissively. "Oh no no, he didn't seem mad or anything. He just said he had something for you." He leaned over the desk and dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Said it was a secret."

Nick slowly shook his head with a sarcastic smile. _A secret meeting, huh? Well, that's a new one._ He moved in, darting his eyes exaggeratedly back and forth as he rest an elbow on the counter, careful to avoid the bowl. "So, uh," he began in a loud stage whisper, "He tell you anything about this 'secret'?"

* * *

Bogo had not, in fact, told Clawhauser anything about the 'secret'. Probably for the best, Nick thought. A lot of things could be said about the cheetah, but 'tight-lipped' was most definitely not one of them. As Nick made his way along the lazily curving staircase up to the mezzanine above he tried to think of anything that could warrant such a meeting. There _was_ that thing with the pudding cup last week, but he doubted that would need to be so cloak and dagger; Bogo had never been shy about handing out a public reaming to him before, so why would this be any different? He knocked twice on the chief's door with his knuckles before slowly letting himself in.

The large cape buffalo sat silently behind his desk, glasses perched on his nose as he looked over the mountain of paperwork that constituted his day-to-day. "Ah, Officer Wilde," he started gruffly, his deep baritone voice filling the room completely as he looked over the top of his spectacles. "Please, take a seat." He gestured towards the large, singular chair opposite of his desk, to which Nick complied. The chair, much like most things in the ZPD building, simply had not been designed with mammals of his size in mind. Nick put a hand on the edge of the seat and hopped up, making himself as comfortable as he could on the oversized piece of furniture before he began to fidget nervously, his leg kicking up and down rhythmically.

"Calm yourself, Wilde; you're not in trouble. Not this time," Bogo began again, noticing the very obvious unease of the fox across from him. As much as he normally absolutely _loved_ to make the fox sweat under his gaze, now was probably not the best time.

Nick very noticeably relaxed at that, his shoulders dropping down into a more natural position as he let out a breath he didn't even know he'd been holding. "So what's the beef, Chief?"

The buffalo sighed deeply and removed his glasses, placing them gently, _too_ gently, onto his desk as he straightened the mish-mash of papers. _Every single time._ _Every_ single _time._ "Let me correct myself, Wilde." Bogo held up a hoof to prevent further interjection. "You are not in trouble _for now_. Don't push it."

"Wouldn't dream of it. No pudding today?"

The chief snorted loudly, his eyes glinting venomously before he leaned back and adopted a dangerous smile. _Deep breath, Bobo, he's one of your best._ "Ah, yes, the _pudding incident._ " He made a little poking gesture with his hoof. "Let's put a pin in that one, shall we?"

Nick's calm wavered for a moment, the corners of his muzzle twitching ever so slightly downwards. _Right, probably should'_ ve _just let that dog lie._

"No, that is not why you find yourself here today. Did Officer Clawhauser not tell you?" Bogo asked in mock disbelief.

"No, sir," Nick replied, working the lump out of his throat with a sharp cough. "Just that it was a secret?" His voice cracked.

"That's right. So, let's get this out of the way early..." Bogo said. He leaned forwards, pausing as he made eye-contact, an unreadable expression on his face, before he exploded. "You are to tell NO ONE of your involvement in this, do I make myself clear?"

Nick snapped smartly to attention, his back going ramrod straight. "Yes sir!" he replied sharply. He raised an eyebrow as the tension in the room began to clear after a few beats of silence, his ears cocking themselves forwards. "Erh, involvement in _what,_ exactly?"

"You'll learn of that in just a moment." Bogo leaned back into his chair, which creaked beneath his weight. He let his voice return to a more acceptable volume. "Your partner should be on her way momentari-" He was interrupted by a series of quick staccato knocks on his office door. "Ah, here she is now."

The fox turned to look at the door as he heard the latch open, and in stepped his fellow officer, and good friend, Judy Hopps. A small gray rabbit with black-tipped ears, she was the smallest sworn officer currently serving at the ZPD, and it's only bunny, to boot. She glanced at Nick with a questioning look on her face, which he answered with a shrug of his shoulders as he scooted left to make room on the chair.

"Good morning, Officer Hopps," Bogo said, his tone much friendlier than the one he normally used with Nick.

"You wanted to see me, Chief?" She asked, her voice sounding much more confident than her current expression would lead you to believe. She quickly hopped up onto the chair alongside Nick, the chair easily big enough for the both of them to sit comfortably. Small as she may be, she had wasted no time proving herself to her fellow officers when she had first joined the force. On her very first week as an officer, she solved a landmark case for the ZPD by locating 15 missing mammals and bringing the ones behind it to justice, all while under an impossible time-crunch designed to send her naive tail running for the hills. She had to admit, though, that she wouldn't have been able to do any of it without the help of the fox sitting next to her. Nick had been instrumental in solving the case, no matter how little attention the news had decided to give him. What started out as reluctant help quickly developed into an inseparable friendship that made them an absolute powerhouse of a partnership at the ZPD. Near perfect record or not, though, their antics and banter while together were an almost constant source of headaches for the Chief.

"Yes, I did." Chief Bogo picked up his glasses and resettled them on his nose before shuffling through the files on his desk. He stopped when he got to one particular green folder, placing it in front of him and tapping its cover twice, the noise echoing hollowly off of his desk. "I have something new for both of you today. I was just detailing-in delicate words-the…" He paused, searching for the right word to use. " _...sensitive_ nature of this case to Officer Wilde, and how utmost secrecy is absolutely necessary." He flipped open the cover of the folder and spun it around, pushing it towards the two officers.

In large block letters at the top of the first page, stamped in a heavy ink, the letters 'ZBI' immediately caught Judy's attention.

"ZBI, sir?" Judy looked up at him questioningly, not fully understanding why he'd be showing them a case that fell so far outside their normal duties. The ZBI, or 'Zootopia Bureau of Investigation', handled the less day-to-day cases such as organized crime, anti-terrorism activities, and crimes that extended beyond city limits. The ZPD, on the other hand, normally only handled domestic disputes, traffic violations, and other surface-deep law enforcement that you'd expect in a big city. "Why are you showing us a ZBI file?"

"Because, Hopps, this is your next assignment," Bogo said. "You as well, Wilde."

The two younger officers shared a quick, hesitant look before Nick spoke up. "Ok, just going to roll with this for a minute…" He said, taking a deep breath and holding it. "What's the case?"

Bogo nodded appreciatively, pushing the file closer to the pair so that they could begin to thumb through it.

Each and every page was stamped with 'ZBI', or 'SECRET', or various other interpretations of 'if you're reading this, you're fired' as the pair looked through the contents of the file.

"We have gotten word," the chief said slowly, "that the major crime families that call our fair city of Zootopia home have arranged for a sort of peacetime meeting." He paused, taking a breath. "All of them."

Judy made a reaching motion for the file, which Nick passed to her wordlessly. Her brow scrunched together as her violet eyes quickly skimmed its contents. "So… what does that have to do with the ZPD? Or… Us?" She said, looking up at her superior with a clearly present confusion.

"You two," he said, gesturing back and forth between them, "Will be going undercover."

Nick and judy shared another apprehensive glance.

"Believe me when I say I don't like this any more than either of you do."

"So why us?" Nick asked. "Aren't we a little, y'know, less than qualified for something like this?"

"Normally, Wilde, I would agree," Bogo said, "but we haven't been left with much room to manoeuvre here. All of the big names in organized crime are putting themselves into a neat little box for us, and they _know_ it. They all very clearly understand the danger they are putting themselves in and have taken precautions."

"That… still doesn't really answer the question?" Nick said apprehensively.

The chief took another deep breath. "Ideally, we would have much more time to prepare you two for this. Though, as you can see by you both being here right now, that is not the case. I don't like this any more than you two. The crime bosses have done their homework on this one; The ZBI fears that any agent they send in will be recognized and compromised. That is where you two come in." The chief shifted himself forward in his chair, took the file back from Judy and flipped forward a few pages before sliding it back in front of them. "You two will be taking a week-long 'vacation' at Shambhala, to observe the meeting from a distance to make sure everything goes smoothly."

Judy's eyes went wide. Shambhala was the largest resort in the city, it's exclusive property spanned several acres of land directly in the center of the city, which held an absolutely _massive_ main building that served as a luxury hotel, casino, and convention hall, and was _the_ place to be if you wanted some luxurious time off from the hustle and bustle of the city that surrounded it on all sides. "Wait…" She scrunched up her brow, pausing her internal reverie. _Observe and make sure things go smoothly?._ She looked up at Bogo. "Are we playing security _for_ the crime bosses?"

Bogo shook his head. "We are not expecting anything out of the ordinary to happen while they are all meeting. You are most certainly not there to protect them. It will be your job to learn what you can about the meeting while not drawing too much attention to yourselves, and to react appropriately if tensions do begin to rise. We are always on the lookout for acts that we can pin on the members of these families, so keep your eyes open. Priority number one is surveillance, but any evidence you can gather on them while you are there is a high second."

"Ok, cool," Nick chimed in, leaning forwards and resting his arms on the chief's desk, "but we aren't exactly the most incognito option either, are we? I mean, if they could recognize some joe-schmoe ZBI agent then they'll definitely know who we are."

Bogo slowly nodded once, expecting this. "You two will not be the only ones there. The ZBI will be sending in a small number of agents knowing full well that they will be identified, while the both of you hide in plain sight. Your fame is your friend in this instance."

Nick narrowed his eyes, trying to understand what the chief was saying, but Judy wasn't sold. She perched herself forwards on the chair and placed her paws on desk. "Our fame is our friend? What do you mean? How does 'going undercover' work if we'll immediately be recognized?" She glanced quickly at Nick, who mirrored her look of concern.

"They'll know who you are, but they won't approach you. You're far too high profile for them to get involved with publicly, and also far too high profile for the ZPD to be sending on an operation like this. If this plan stays watertight, _which it will,_ " He shot a pointed look at the fox across from him, who nodded quickly. "They'll just think it was a poorly timed vacation.

The fox took a moment to collect everything he'd just heard, trying to make sure he had a handle on it all. "O...kay… But what if-"

Bogo held up a hoof, silencing him. "I'm sorry, Officer Wilde, but that is all I am allowed to say." He took the file back and put it in a large envelope alongside a number of other documents. "Everything that you need to know is contained in here. Anything else that you need to know after reading through all of this, you don't need to know. Do I make myself clear?".

Both of the officers in front of him nodded their understanding.

"Good." He relaxed the tension he had been holding in his shoulders, passing the now-sealed packet back across to Nick. He reached beneath his desk and pulled a second, identical envelope out, handing that one to Judy. "You've both got the rest of the day off to read up on the assignment. Come see me again first thing tomorrow morning, and I'll let you know what else needs to be done after that. Dismissed."

* * *

The door latched closed behind both officers as they stepped onto the mezzanine outside of the chief's office, packets in hand.

 _Well this is certainly something new,_ Nick thought to himself. An undercover-but-not-really-undercover-but-really-actually-undercover assignment at the ritziest resort in the city? Well, sure. As much as he loved working his normal beat, this would, if nothing else, be a welcome change of pace. He hiked his chin towards the stairs. "Lunch?"

Judy looked up at him, and then down at the ground floor to try and find a clock. She narrowed her eyes when she found one, reading the numbers it displayed. "It's only 10am."

Nick paused, his eyes focusing into the distance as he fiddled absently with the large envelope in his hands. His empty expression dropped quickly back into a half-lidded smile as he looked back down at his partner. "Brunch?" He asked hopefully, raising his shoulders into a pose that quite clearly asked 'please'.

Judy let out a quick, airy laugh and rolled her eyes. She looked up at him sarcastically before heading towards the stairs, fox following quickly behind her. "Sure, slick. Brunch."


	2. Brunch

Chapter 2 - Brunch

"All I'm saying is that, on a conceptual level, the tooth-fairy is terrifying."

Judy couldn't do anything other than roll her eyes, smiling sarcastically as she quickened her pace to pull ahead of the Fox. "Nick, I really think the sun is getting to your head," she called back to him, keeping to the right as the path through the park that they were on forked.

"I mean, ok, look," he began, holding up a single finger as he used his other, less expressive paw to clutch the envelopes that Bogo had given both him and Judy just a short while earlier. "First, a little piece of bone falls out of your head, then-"

"Teeth aren't bones."

"They're- what?" Nick shook his head, exhaling sharply. "Anyway, not the point. Then you stuff this little bone-"

Judy looked back at him with a raised eyebrow and a crooked smile.

"...Or _whatever_ it is-," he corrected, which seemed to satisfy the rabbit as she nodded, her walk turning into a sort of half skip for a moment, "-under your pillow. Next thing you know, this flying demon-lady breaks into your house when you are at your most vulnerable, puts herself _inches_ away from you," he held up his hand again, indicating a small distance with his thumb and finger, "steals this little piece of your body that you're sleeping on top of, probably to do strange and deviant things with when she gets back to her lair, and then leaves you money like that somehow makes it all OK. Where does she even get the money!?" He threw his arms out in question.

Judy slowed her walk as the fox caught back up with her. She turned her head to look up at him. "I'm almost impressed that you've put so much thought into this," she said around a laugh, her features stretching into a large smile.

"Do rabbits even lose their baby teeth?" Nick asked, holding up his paw to block an obtrusive ray of sunlight that found its way through the branches of the trees that lined either side of the pathway.

The rabbit shook her head. "Nope," she replied. "If one gets knocked out it'll grow back, though."

The fox nodded pensively, seeming to take a moment to think over this new bit of information. "So you never had to deal with the tooth-fairy then, right?"

His partner let out a short snort of a laugh. "No, I never had to deal with the big bad tooth-fairy," she said sarcastically, giving him playful shove.

Unlike some of the other districts, Zootopia's center, the beating heart of the city, did not artificially alter its weather. Instead of using large machines or a thick canopy of transplanted trees, it opted instead for a more naturalistic approach, simply allowing the shifting of the seasons and the day-to-day temperament of the weather to decide just what what was in store for the many mammals that called this area home. Luckily, these wild, savage forces of nature had all temporarily put aside their differences and chosen to work together, focusing all of their efforts into one and creating something _spectacular_. What began as a beautiful morning had made way for an even more beautiful day. Not too hot, not too cold, and what few clouds there were to be found in the sky were only the faintest of wisps, dancing lazily in and out of focus. Their frail, painted forms were framed on all sides by the warming glow of an early autumn sky, and bordered beyond that by the innumerable peaks of the city's many enormous skyscrapers, their hulking metal and glass bodies reflecting into infinity a breathtaking display of nature's simple beauty. Closer down to earth, the trees that lined the many pathways through the park were clothed in an endless assortment of colors and hues, with some of the proud plants still sporting their iridescent summer greens, while others, more forward in their enthusiasm for the coming of fall, had already transitioned into a fiery display of piercingly bright reds and oranges. The leaves, becoming brighter and more fragile by each passing day, clung stubbornly to their branches as every little breeze that wound its way through the park filtered past them, threatening to carry them away. It was, by all accounts, the type of perfect day that other 'perfect' days aspired to be.

 _So why does Nick look so nervous_? Judy thought, using a noise to their left to try and disguise a quick glance in his direction.

To any casually observing mammal, they would see Nick just the same as he always was: Calm, cool, collected, and sporting an expression so impossibly, infuriatingly smug that it could very well drive you to madness. But today there was something... _different_ about him that she just couldn't quite pin down. Maybe it was how his ears, normally halfway at attention and willingly passive to the world, would twitch towards any little noise that found its way towards them, as if they were searching for something. Maybe it was the way that he kept checking his paw, fidgeting absentmindedly as he danced his thumb across each of his other fingers in turn, one after the other, back and forth. Back and forth.

 _Or maybe i'm just imagining it._ She thought.

Judy fished her phone out of her pants pocket and tapped the 'zoogle' bar at the top of the screen. "What did you say this place was called, again?"

"I didn't," he replied smoothly, casting a short, half-lidded glance in her direction. "It's a surprise."

"Ok, then, but you're sure it'll be here today, right?" She said, fingers still at the ready on her phone keyboard.

"Positive." he replied. He noticed her eyes drift down towards his restless paws. Becoming aware of their movement for himself, he stuffed them into his pockets as he walked alongside her. "Eddie hasn't missed a Friday in the park since I've known him. You probably wouldn't find anything about it on the web, anyway," he said, gesturing towards her phone. "You kind of just have to… know."

 _Just Know?_ Judy scrunched up a cheek and turned off her phone, dropping it back into her pocket. "There's no way that can be good for business. How can you expect anyone to know where you are if you don't tell them?"

Nick shrugged. "There was always a line, so whatever he's doing is working."

Judy, however, just couldn't get over the nagging feeling that something was off. The way he'd hesitated when he said 'Eddie' made her realize that no, she wasn't just imagining things, and that something was definitely up. All of her 'cop-sense' alarm bells were ringing at full volume, and while she was normally content enough to let Nick's little idiosyncrasies slide, something about the way he was acting had her worried. So, naturally, she decided to probe.

"So," she began, watching Nick carefully out of the corner of her eyes, "do you and this Eddie have any history?" With as much time as she had spent around Nick over the course of their time together as friends and partners at the ZPD, Judy couldn't help but pick up on some of the tricks that he used to get what he wanted out of a conversation.

Nick's ears twitched at the mention of the other's name. "Something Like that," he replied, his expression remaining happy and relaxed. "I haven't been to see him in... in quite some time. Just worried he won't remember my usual, is all."

 _There was that hesitation again. Alright, so that must be the 'opening' that he always talks about_. "Why haven't you been to see him?" She asked, eyes still glued to him, searching. "The way you talk about this place, you make it seem like it's life changing."

Nick laughed. "It's true," he said, choosing to temporarily ignore the first part of her question. "As soon as you have something he's added his touch to, your life is divided into two parts," he help up a paw with 2 fingers extended. "Before and after."

Judy smiled chipperly back up at him. "So…"

Nick looked down, his expression going momentarily distant before he winked at her, a another smile threatening at the corners of his lips. "Tell you about it later, Carrots. 'History' is probably the best way to put it."

And so they walked, comfortably silent. If it was important, Judy was sure that he would tell her when the time was right. For now, however, she wasn't going to let anything get in the way of the day ahead.

* * *

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," Judy said flatly, staring straight ahead as they approached their destination. In front of them was the single most rusted vehicle that she had ever seen. One wheel had been hopped carelessly up onto the curb causing the whole thing to sit at an uncomfortable angle, and small patches of what was probably once white paint in a past life were splotched here and there along the body of the large box truck. A multi colored awning, hilariously tattered and only _just_ clinging to life from years of abuse and attempted repairs, extended from its side to cover an ordering window that took up the majority of the space on the side facing them. To the left of the window, hand painted proudly in bright red letters, was the establishment's name…

"'The Roach Coach'," she said, reading the name of the truck out loud before looking up at her smirking partner incredulously. "Seriously, Nick?"

"Best burger in Zootopia," he asserted with a smile, motioning for her to follow as he walked forwards.

 _Ok, Nick, what is going on._ She thought. Nick had lost his usual confident stride, replacing it instead with small steps forwards that seemed to take every ounce of effort he could muster in order to keep moving.

True to his word from earlier, however, there was a large line of maybe thirty or forty mammals winding towards the ordering window. Behind the counter in the back of the truck, a rather rotund raccoon dressed in a greasy white apron was both taking orders and working the grill behind him, switching effortlessly between chopping vegetables, tending the grill, and greeting everyone that came up to him with a smile as he committed their order to memory. As they approached, the raccoon did a double take in their direction. He looked out at them for a moment in absolute, unfiltered, fully leaded, fresh-from-the-farm, buy one get one free, wholesale confusion before his features completely lit up, top to bottom. He began to wave frantically at them both as he quickly said something to the next customer in line before hauling himself quickly out of sight and towards the front of his 'restaurant'. He threw open the front door of the truck with a loud _clang_ and raced towards them as quickly as they could, his heavily stained white apron flittering against his round sides.

"Hey, Eddie, how's it GAHK-" before Nick could say anything else, the large chef had forcibly pulled him into a humongous bear hug, almost completely swallowing him into his own body. Judy took a step back from the pair and tried unsuccessfully to suppress a laugh.

"Wilde! Is 'at really you?" Eddie said loudly, still holding the fox tightly.

As for Judy, she stood back at a safe distance and watched, a bemused expression on her face. Nick had once told her that he knew everybody in Zootopia, and the longer that she knew him the more she started to believe it. It didn't matter what they were doing or where they were patrolling, it was only a matter of time before they were bound to run into somebody that the fox knew. The litany of connections and favors owed towards him had on many occasions come in handy, as well. There had been several cases they were assigned that would have gone dead and cold if it weren't for her partner's uncanny ability to 'know a guy that knows a guy', as he put it, that had helped them out. Sometimes willingly, sometimes not-so-willingly. It was in the latter cases that her partners silver tongue, irrefutable charm, and unmatched wit, sharply honed and practiced over years in his 'former life', had fully revealed itself. She knew he could be insufferably clever and dangerously manipulative if the situation called for it, yet it never ceased to amaze her just how effortlessly he managed to dance through a conversation, poking and prodding for weak points, sensitive topics, common ground, or anything else that would give him a leg up over the mammal on the receiving end of his 'talents'.

Judy, however, was more or less on the complete opposite end of the 'social' spectrum. She had made friends during her time in Zootopia, of course, but she was more often than not perfectly content to stay in her own little bubble. When she wasn't working, she was home, and when she wasn't home, she was working, and that suited her just fine. Nick tried to get her to come out of her 'cave' every now and then by inviting her out to a walk in the park one day, maybe a meetup with the rest of their fellow officers at a bar the next. He even tried to convince her to go dancing one night. _Tried,_ being the key word there. Not going to go dancing. No way, no how, silver tongue be damned.

A muffled grunt drew her attention back to the two in front of her as Nick began to use what little maneuverability he had left in his arm to tap the side of his assaulter, begging for breath. When the large raccoon finally relinquished his grip the fox made an exaggerated gasp as he held a paw to his heart. Panting heavily, but with a light-hearted glint in his eyes, Nick playfully punched Eddie's chest as his feet reconnected with the ground. "Still working on that chiseled physique, I see," Nick said with a smile, his trademark smirk just a little bit brighter than normal.

Eddie laughed. It was a deep, rolling laugh that carried throughout his entire body. It was a laugh of equal parts disbelief and relief as he took a step back, hands on his hips, to get a proper look at the fox that stood in front of him. "It really is you, isn't it! How long's it been? Six? Seven years now?"

Nick shrugged, running his paws down his uniform in order to straighten it. "I must've lost track somewhere along the line. Do you know how badly I've been craving this place, big guy?"

"I'd be insulted if you hadn't had a dream or two about me," the large raccoon shot back playfully. "An' look at you!" Eddie batted at both of Nick's shoulders. "I'd heard some of the other guys talking about how you were headed down the straight an' narrow as a police officer now! Didn't believe a word of it, no sir... But here you are, true as day!"

Nick tilted his head downwards in confirmation, letting the other continue.

Eddie opened his mouth to say something else, but hesitated. He paused for a moment and gave the fox a look that Judy couldn't quite decipher. He brought a paw up to rub the back of his head, his eyes softening for a moment. "We uh…" He hesitated again. "You good?"

Nick smiled, fully aware of the probing gaze that Judy was directing at him. "Better than ever, big guy."

The raccoon seemed to take a moment to think this over, his eyes deeply considering the fox in front of him before drawing him back into another massive hug.

"Alright, alright," Nick pleaded, hugging him back this time, "plenty of time to catch up later. Right now, though, me and my partner," he hooked a thumb in Judy's direction, who was picking up the envelopes that Nick had dropped, "could _really_ go for something good right now, and figured this'd definitely be the place to be."

"Of course, of course!" Eddie said, looking at the fox and the rabbit in turn. "Ah, and where are my manners!" He said loudly, taking a step towards Judy, extending a paw. "Edward Cooper, at your service."

Judy took his paw and shook it warmly. "Officer Judy Hopps, ZPD. Happy to meet you!"

Eddie took an exaggerated step backwards, narrowing his eyes nervously. "Uh oh," he began. "I got the 'official' introduction. I'm not in trouble, am I?"

"You'll have to forgive officer fluff, here," Nick said, ignoring the sarcastic look he was being given. "It's hard for her to get out of 'cop mode' sometimes." It wasn't as easy, however, to ignore the slug that she delivered solidly to his arm.

Eddie smiled. "Don't worry 'bout it! I'm just poking fun, anyhow." He looked back over his shoulder at the lengthening line that snaked towards his truck. "Ah, looks like I'm being missed. Before I go back and take the helm, what could I get for you two?" He clapped his hands together and rubbed them back and forth quickly. "Can't have you waiting in that godawful line over there."

Judy looked up at Nick, his eyebrows raising in questioning expectation.

"Don't look at me," the rabbit said quickly, replying to Nick's gaze. "You're the expert here. What'd be good?"

"Everything Eddie makes is good, Carrots," he remarked before turning his attention back to his old acquaintance. "Only thing that matters is what type of good you're in the mood for. ...Do you still have the 17?"

The raccoon chuckled to himself. "It's been a _long_ time since anyone's ordered the 17, Wilde. I hadn't even had it on the menu for the last, oh... five years now?" He noticed the momentarily crestfallen look that the fox gave him before continuing. "But, yeah, I think I can still whip one up for ya," he said with a wink. "Just for you. Consider it a 'welcome back' present."

Judy wished more than nothing else that she had a camera to capture Nick's expression. His eyes absolutely lit up at the news and… _is he drooling? He is definitely drooling_.

Nick playfully glared at his partner's expression and collected himself, wiping an arm across his muzzle. "I think Carrots here," he said, "will have the garden special. That's still on the menu, right?"

"Sure is, Wilde," Eddie said, nodding. "You want me to put a spin on it for you?" He asked, looking down at the smaller of the two officers. "I can make you something that nobody else had ever had before."

Judy's ears perked up at this. She was starting to become aware of just how hungry she'd become, seeing as how she had uncharacteristically skipped breakfast this morning. Why she had done that, she had absolutely no idea, and it wasn't a mistake she'd ever make again. "Well, Nick here says your food is kind of a big deal, so yes," she said, "I'll let you put a 'spin' on it."

Eddie clapped once more, this time with a sense of finality, before saying his goodbyes and moving as quickly as he could back to his truck to get started on their orders, as well as take care of the many, many hungry mammals that had schmoozed into the line during his absence.

* * *

It was only a short while later that Nick and Judy found themselves sitting at one of the many picnic tables scattered around the grassy clearing nearest the truck, sitting comfortably as the sights and sounds of the park around them drifted lazily through their peripherals.

Judy dropped both of the envelopes down on the table with a muffled _fthwump_ , letting the nondescript objects occupy the space between them. "So," she began enthusiastically, drumming her fingers over one of the files, "want to get started?"

Nick reached a paw out and scooted his folder over in front of himself. "Might as well. I want to see how many strings are attached to this 'vacation' of ours. I mean seriously… Shambhala? That's the ritziest place in the city. Never thought I'd ever get to go there."

Judy picked up her file and began to fiddle with the string that tied the flap closed over it. Finally managing to disentangle it, she swept it to the side and began to pull out the contents as her partner did the same with his. "Alright," she said quietly, "What all do we have here?"

Nick thumbed quickly through everything that he had pulled out and quickly organized them into a neat stack in front of him. "Should probably read through the main file first, just to see what all we're up against here," he said as he pulled off the topmost bundle of papers from the stack. At the top of the page, nestled next to all of the 'classified' stamps, was a bold heading that simply read _**SHAMBHALA**_. He read quickly through the cover page, gleaning as much information as he could from the scattering of seemingly random bits of information that it contained. He stopped at one particular point of info about midway down. "Well, they sure didn't give us a whole lot of time to get ready, did they?"

Judy scanned diligently through the page before her eyes landed on a section that listed the date of the operation. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she double checked what she had read. "No kidding," she said. "We've got today and the rest of tomorrow to get set up before we're supposed to be there to check in. It says here that the reservations have already been made under our names."

Nick looked almost disappointed at this as he found the section that she was reading off of. "So what, no cool secret agent false names? It's like they don't respect us at all, I swear."

Judy shot a sarcastic glance at her partner before she began to flip through the rest of the pages. She got only a few pages in before she just let the whole packet drop back onto the table with a sigh. "Ugh, I'm so hungry," she groaned. "This better be worth the wait. I can't think on an empty stomach."

"Patience, Fluff. It'll be worth it," he answered. He licked his lips in anticipation as he remembered just what was on its way to him. It was an absolute dream come true to be back here, and there was part of him that still couldn't believe that he actually had a 17, a _17,_ being made specifically for him that was only a few short minutes away from being in front of him. It had been so long…

Judy couldn't help but laugh as she regarded the fox in front of her currently drifting off into his own little world. "Nick?" She asked gently, her voice soft.

"Hmmm?" He answered blearily, his every conscious thought currently occupied with memories of a delicious past.

She pointed up at his muzzle with a quick wiggle of her fingers. "You're drooling again."

Nick quickly swiped a paw across his lips and started to laugh alongside her. "You have no idea what you're in store for here," he said happily, wiping his jaw once more and checking the back of his paw just to be careful. "Eddie is the best kept secret in all of Zootopia."

Judy took a deep breath and looked down. "So…" she began cautiously. "Speaking of 'secrets'..." She hoped she wasn't pushing too far. There were certain things about Nick's past that she didn't know, and some that she doubted she would _ever_ know. She had more or less gathered, through trial and error sometimes, that certain subjects were off limits for discussion.

Nick took a deep breath, still smiling. He'd been wondering if she'd ask again today. Ever the investigator... "It's really not that big of a deal, now that I think about it," he said truthfully, turning over long-forgotten and dusty memories in his mind that he hadn't thought about in years. "He and I, back in each of our… how do I put this…"

"...Former areas of employment?" Judy offered with a tentative smile.

Nick smiled. "Right. During our 'younger, more hustly' days," he joked. "We just had a bit of a... business disagreement. Did I tell you Eddie used to be the head chef at Coeur Bêlant?"

Judy blinked twice. "Eddie?" She pointed in the general direction of the food truck over her shoulder. " _That_ Eddie used to be the head chef at _Coeur Bêlant?"_

One of, if not _the_ most highly regarded restaurants in all of Zootopia, Coeur Bêlant was often described as life-changing by those who were lucky enough to navigate the sometimes _year_ long wait-list. To even be considered for a spot in line you had to be personally selected by the shadowy upper management of the establishment, and even then, once selected, you still had to purchase a spot in line for what amounted to a small fortune for most of the city's residents. Every single mammal that made it through the wait and found themselves at a table would always leave saying that every single bit of the arduous process was worth it. Every single one.

"Yep," Nick continued. " _That_ Eddie. Probably about," he paused, tilting his head upwards in thought, "...eleven years ago, I'd say, was when we were introduced through a mutual acquaintance. The kitchen would ask for certain ingredients, and I'd go out and find someone that would be either willing or able to get it to them. Some of the recipes in that place used things that were a little bit… less than legal," he said, noticing one of Judy's eyebrows slowly creep its way upwards. "Nothing too crazy," he quickly continued. He knew the bunny sitting across from him didn't exactly approve of his past endeavors. To be honest, he didn't approve of any of it anymore either. " _Maybe_ some of the spices that they used, in higher concentrations, could be hallucinogenic. _Maybe_ some of the plants that they served, if not prepared correctly, were horribly toxic. All second-hand information, I assure you."

Judy gave him a wry smile. "I'm sure."

"Anyway, point is- if you couldn't get it through normal means, then I would set up deals here and there to make sure they had a constant flow of what they needed." He smiled, a far off look in his eye as he remembered it all fondly. "Things were pretty good for a couple of years. We'd built up a good number of 'regulars' that we could count on to get us what we needed when we needed it. I'd have been more than happy to just ride out the rest of my days doing what we were doing then, to be honest with you. Y'know, maintaining the status quo and all that." He paused. He sighed deeply as the second half of the story played itself out in his mind. "Things started to get a little complicated, though," he continued as Judy inched herself forwards on her seat, as if being absorbed into his story. "After a while, some of the people that we bought from started to up their prices. A little bit at first, but then higher and higher as they started to realize they were the only ones in town that had what we needed. This probably would have been fine if Eddie was still with Coeur Bêlant, but he'd gotten tired of all the snooty, holier-than-thou attitudes and atmosphere of the place and decided to just dump it all a couple of months earlier. Big guy just loved to make food, but hated the politics that came with heading up such a big name place, so he decided to flip everything around and buy the ugliest, junkiest old food truck he could in order to keep away the snobs. He wanted his food to speak for itself."

"So what happened?" Judy asked, prodding him gently along.

"It didn't make Eddie too happy, I can tell you that. Instead of just ponying up the extra cash to keep it all flowing smoothly, since it was now all going to his truck instead of his old place, he decided to start swiping product straight from the docks. As soon as the ships carrying it hit the city, he'd head off to steal whatever he needed, and then just turn around and buy a smaller amount from the usual lanes to keep them from getting suspicious."

"Wait, how did he steal it? He's, kind of, you know…" She rolled her hands around themselves in front of her, trying to let them say what she didn't want to.

"Huge?" Nick offered helpfully with a good natured smile. "He wasn't always like that. He used to say that 'thieving ran in the family', must have been a raccoon thing or something. I didn't approve of any of what he was doing at all, though, scouts honor," he said, holding up two fingers in a form of salute. "I know I was never exactly honest, so I know I can't say a whole lot against him, but I never stole. And if you knew who's ships he was stealing from… oh boy, let me tell you. Not smart.

"So anyway, long story short," he said, holding onto the edge of the table for support as he reclined backwards, closing his eyes momentarily as he dredged even further back in his mind behind doors he'd closed a long time ago. "we had a very level-headed, low volume, civilized discussion about what he was doing and how I thought it was stupid. I thought we should just keep paying whatever it was that the dock guys were asking, and just keep it gravy. I told him it was dangerous, and that we had more than enough to cover it all-we were undercutting the price by a LOT at the start, anyway-but he just wasn't going to hear any of it." He let out a long, deep breath as he remembered how it all ended. "Not really proud of what happened next." He bit his lower lip, squinting his eyes slightly. "Felt good at the time though."

"What'd you do?"

Nick sighed, resting his elbows on the table. "I walked over to him, shook his hand, and punched him square in the face as hard as I could. Slammed the door behind me and never saw him again."

"Nick!" Judy said sharply, frowning at the almost satisfied look that the fox across from her was wearing. "Why in the world would you do that?"

"He was being ridiculous!" Nick defended, his pitch rising momentarily before he coughed nervously as a few passers-by shot a curious look in his direction. "He was putting himself into deep, _deep_ danger just to save on the monthly bill. It should've just been another cost of business, but the idiot took it personally for some reason. After I walked out, leaving him out on the floor of the warehouse we used to share, I didn't hear anything about him for a couple of months. Last I ever heard was how the bosses behind the entire underground shipping operation eventually caught on to what he was doing. Some of the people I used to deal around were not nice people, Carrots," he said solemnly, deeply wishing he could erase certain actions of his past. "It wasn't always pawpsicles and rainbows, Fluff. Now, none of this is first hand, so I can't tell you if it's true or not, but from what I could gather, they weren't too nice to him. Busted his legs up pretty bad..." He trailed off, trying not to think about it any more than he had to.

Judy brought both of her paws up to cover her mouth. "Wow," she said quietly, unable to think of a better way to respond.

"So yeah, not too proud of how I dealt with it all. I should have tried harder to talk him out of it. We used to be real close, and I just left him with a bloody nose on the floor of our old hangout." He smiled dimly, looking over at The Roach Coach for a moment, his eyes focusing far, far away. "I'm glad the big guy is doing ok for himself."

Judy took a few moments to herself to process everything he had said. She'd known he'd ran with some shady characters before, but to know he had been dancing so close to something so dangerous, no matter how long ago it was, sent a shiver down her spine. She looked at the fox sitting across from her at that wooden, pock marked picnic table. He was thumbing idly at a staple in a corner of one of the many sheets before them as his eyes drifted lazily here and there throughout the park. She owed a lot of what she had and what she was to him, and it terrified her to think of just how different things may have turned out for her if not for pure chance. She opened her mouth to say something-what, exactly, she didn't know-however, she was interrupted by the raccoon of the hour, Eddie, as he sat two paper trays of freshly-made goodness in front of her and Nick.

"And here we go, you two! A garden special with a spin for the Officer Judy Hopps, ZPD," he said with a wink in the bunny's direction, which was met with an embarrassed grin, "and one 17 for you, partner," he finished with a broad smile at Nick as he settled both trays on the table, trying not to upset the mish-mash of papers that were spread all over it.

"Thanks a bunch, big guy!" Nick said around a mouthful of drool as he caught a whiff of the veritable mountain of food in front of him.

"Thank you!" Judy said respectfully.

"Anytime, you two!" Eddie answered, taking an exaggerated bow. His large form threatening to topple over on top of them as his apron brushed the side of the table. "...I hope I'll be seeing you two around a little more often than once a decade or so, right? I mean..." He asked with just a small amount of hesitation. Judy knew the question was directed much more so at Nick than herself.

"I think I'll be able to swing around every now and then," Nick grinned, glad that there were no obvious hard feelings. "We've got a lot of catching up to do, don't we?"

Eddie laughed that same relieved, disbelieving laugh. "We sure do, Wilde. Anyhow, back to the truck before they all turn savage on me over there," he said as he took off as quickly as he could back towards his rusty pride and joy. "Don't worry 'bout the bill, Nick, consider this as my way of saying you were right all along!" He called out over his shoulder back at them.

Judy smiled as she watched the large raccoon head back into his truck before she turned her attention towards the tray in front of her. At the base of the simple paper presentation, forming the foundation for everything else that sat layered expertly on top of it, was a single slice of toasted bread. She couldn't tell exactly what type it was, but it was an eye-catching earthy brown that had small bits of nuts and other grains embedded in the crust around it. Atop that was the single most beautiful arrangement of garden greens and succulents that she had ever seen; romaine and toasted sprouts were placed in just the right amount around a bed of what may has well have been a countless number of different shades of greens, reds, and yellows, accented and protected on all sides by a dressing that smelt slightly of raspberry, it's otherworldly red-orange, the same color of an aging sunset (and Nick's fur, a deeper part of her mind noted) keeping your eyes from straying too far from the center of the dish. It captured absolutely everything that was good about the earth and distilled it into a single little pile. To her, it may as well have been home, and it was, in a word, perfect.

Nick's tray was equally as impressive, though in a much different way. Atop his plate sat a towering burger, whose massive buns glistened in the light filtering through the trees, lending them a shifting, polished appearance that held between them what could only be described as intimidating, Judy thought. First in the line of defense between the bottom bun and the rest of the contents was a single slice of now molten, golden yellow cheese with strips of a pale white running through it. Atop this barrier was a large selection of greenery that mirrored her own tray, in a way, though with slightly less care put into its placement. Small droplets of what could have been either water or oil dressed the surfaces and edges of the greens, reflecting pinpoints of light back into the heart of the creation. Sat loftily among the garden was the focal piece of the entire production. The 'piece-de-resistance'. An absolutely massive patty comprised of all different types of seafood and fowl, it's edges charred in a crackling black that tried their best to dam the enormous amount of juice that was surely held within it. Crowning the king were an assortment of just the right amount of sauces and garnishes, placed in such a number and array so as to bring out the absolute best of everything that called the tray home. Speared into the top bun with a large wooden skewer was a slice of onion, an entire pickle, and a small amount of cherry tomatoes. It was, in a word, perfect.

Judy _really_ wished she had a camera to capture the look of absolute childlike glee that had plastered itself across the face of her fox. A web-like strand of drool had started to dangle dangerously from his open maw.

"...Nick?" she started softly.

The fox simply licked his lips, unashamedly upsetting a few droplets in the process. "Yeah, yeah. Drooling. Whatever," he said sarcastically, darting his eyes momentarily upwards from his burger to meet the eyes of his partner. "You have no idea how much I've missed this."

Judy, now almost as excited as her partner, smiled and picked up the plastic fork that had been placed next to the veritable garden that was her tray. Tentatively gathering up a small bundle of and running it gently over a spot of dressing, she brought it up to her mouth.

Time stopped.

Her eyes lost focus.

Every single nerve ending in her body, from the black tips of her ears to the white fluff of her tail, began to glow with a warmth that she had never experienced before.

"Oh my _god…_ " was all she could bring herself to say as she quickly, yet reverently loaded up a second forkful of the masterful creation in front of her.

"Told you," Nick said smugly, but his words fell on deaf ears. Judy had been fully captured by the dish front of her. Shaking his head with a smile, he delicately wrapped his fingers around the towering creation that sat on his tray. He gave it a gentle, experimental squeeze as he brought it slowly towards his waiting muzzle, which caused a not insignificant amount of shimmering grease to come to the forefront, greeting his waiting jaws.

His eyes rolled into the back of his head as he made contact, a not-entirely-appropriate-for-public sound slipping past his tongue and wrapping around the burger as he bit into it longingly. _It had been so long…_

Several minutes passed in relative silence between them, interrupted only by the sounds of crinkling paper or the scrape of a fork. By the time that they had both finished, they sat in an afterglow of food induced warmth, both sad that the experience was over, yet comforted by the fact that it was sure to come again soon enough. No longer, Nick thought, would he have to go without.

"So," Judy finally began, breaking the silence between them. Nick's only response was to tilt his head slightly in her direction, still in a blissful fog. "Do you think we should get back to work?"

Nick sighed, resettling himself slightly forwards. "Probably should," he answered, setting his now empty tray to the side as he regathered the assortment of papers that were still scattered across the table. "So," he began, tapping the bottom edge of a stack of papers against the surface of the table to level them all off. "Where were we?"


	3. Literature

Chapter 3 - Literature

"Gghuuraagghh!"

Nick awoke with a lurching, ragged start, sitting bolt upright in bed as his arms swiped blindly in front of him, his fur bristling end on end as if he'd just been struck by lightning. He brought a palm to his chest to try and calm his racing heart, which was beating so quickly and with such ferocity that it felt as though he was getting rapid-fire punched in the chest. He took a couple of deep, haggard breaths, punctuated by a choking swallow, in an attempt to get himself back under control as he tossed the single blanket that he normally slept with off to the side, piling it unceremoniously into a heap against the wall. He sniffed sharply and swung his legs over the edge of his bed, letting his bare feet come into contact with the cold wooden flooring with a dull _creak._ He took one more deep breath, paw still grasping at his chest, before pushing off from his mattress to finally stand.

He could never remember quite what they were about; the entire night's ordeal always seemed to turn into a smoky, twisting haze that held out just beyond his memory's reach. The fact that he could never remember the nightmares sometimes bothered him more than the fact that he actually had them. He felt like if he could just remember what they were about then maybe he could actually do something about them instead of just laying down to go to bed and feebly hoping against hope that they decided to spare him and skip that night.

They never did. He never really expected them to.

He took a few unsteady steps forwards, finding his balance and wiping down his eyes and across the top of his muzzle before he turned into his kitchen. His left shoulder scraped the doorway, causing him to list slightly to the opposite side as he reached out to grab the handle of his fridge to steady himself. He pulled open the door and flooded a narrow slice of his apartment's kitchen with the harsh, cold light of the single unshielded bulb that tried its best to greet him. The small motor on the back of the appliance switched on, its gentle thrumming meeting his ears and causing them to twitch this way and that as he used the back of his fingers to push a small number of jars out of the way before grabbing the chilled, plastic handle of a large jug of orange juice. He slid it off of the shelf, its weight causing it to dip slightly downwards before he spun the cap off of the container with his thumb, sending it skittering across the floor into the darkness like a startled bug. He swiped the door of the fridge closed, sending his entire apartment back once more into an inky, familiar black with a dull _fwump._ He brought the jug up to his muzzle, taking several long, deep gulps, and finished with a satisfied sigh. After several more deep breaths, he upended the jug once more and used a single finger to tap out any remaining drops of the sweet drink onto his waiting tongue before he set the empty vessel onto the counter next to him. He'd dispose of it properly come morning. Probably.

For as long as Nick could remember, he had been a fox-a damn fine specimen of a fox if you were to ask him-and, like most foxes, his night vision was far and away better than that of the average mammal's. Several millennia of adaptation and no small amount of mother nature's meddling had shaped his eyes, and the eyes of his many canid relatives, into razor sharp predatory tools that had, in times long past, been used to now socially frowned upon ends. Instead of using them to hunt and track small, unsuspecting prey animals as nature had intended, however, he found himself using them at the present time to navigate his way into the main living area of his meager living arrangements in a hunt for the half-eaten bag of potato crisps he knew he'd left on the coffee table. He sat down with a huff on his old couch, its tattered upholstery holding together well enough given the number of years that they had seen, and used his toes to grab the crinkly plastic bag on the table in front of him, bringing it carefully towards his lap. He leaned his head backwards and nestled it into the folds of the cushions behind him as he funneled the remainder of his snacks into the general area of his open mouth, some missing the mark completely and tumbling down to be forgotten into crevices of his seat, while others lodged themselves into his bare chest, working their way into his rust-orange fur. He swatted and brushed absent mindedly at the intruding crumbs, having no strong feelings one way or the other whether he got them off or not. He was just going to hop into the shower in a few minutes anyway, he figured, so no sense trying to act dignified. He doubted he had the energy in himself to do the job properly anyway.

His ears perked upwards front and center as they caught a short, barely audible buzz come from the table in front of him. Leveraging himself forwards, he reached out and grabbed at his phone, pressing the button on the side to wake the screen. He must have forgotten to bring it into the bedroom with himself earlier in the night, and, as such, had also forgotten to plug it in to charge. He swiped away the low-battery warning, which had been the cause of the small vibration alert, and looked at the small number of notifications that had collected since he had gone to bed for the night.

Email… Email… A text asking whether or not he had picked Alejandro up from daycare… Spam… Weather alert… A follow-up text apologizing for having the wrong number… Email...

His eyes opened slightly wider as he read the name of the sender of the final text message that displayed on his screen: Judy.

He checked the time that the message was received, and noted that it was from just an hour or so after he had first laid down. He touched the notification to read the message.

A simple [Hey, you still up?] was all it read.

He flicked his eyes up at the top corner of his phone, checking the time once more as he tried to decide whether or not he should try texting her back. It had been several hours since she had sent it. He knew her well enough to know that there was absolutely zero chance of her being awake right now, given her habit of waking up at 5:30am sharp every morning. Just the same, though...

[Hey, you. Still awake?] His fingers stumbled sleepily across the keyboard, tripping over themselves as he initially typed ' _Fey,, yoi. Stial awak?'_ He gave his head a sizeable shake to try and clear the fog in his mind, laughing internally at how much of a help autocorrect was being. He felt fairly lucid, but maybe that wasn't quite the case just yet. Maybe he could put some coffee on to boi-

His phone buzzed twice in his paw, drawing his attention back to it.

[Yup. Can't sleep. Just kind of laying in bed awake right now. You?]

Nick paused for a moment, trying to think of what to say back. Not even the tiniest part of him was expecting her to be awake right now, and he was barely cognizant enough to string a sleep-addled thought together. Just the same, though…

[Been up for a little bit. Nocturnal foxes and all that.] He lied. [Neighbors keeping you up again with more of their antics?] He lightly tapped the green 'send' arrow and sent the message off on its way. A few short seconds later his phone alerted him to a reply.

[No, they're both on vacation or something right now. It's so quiet over here that it's creepy.]

Nick readjusted himself on the couch, rolling his shoulders and eliciting a few satisfying pops from his spine as he got comfortable once more. He flipped the phone around in his paw, using the hollow glow of the screen as an impromptu flashlight as he leaned over the side of the armrest to feel along the floor for the charging cable that he kept handy. He gently tugged upwards on the long cable, freeing it from some small snag beneath the couch, before letting it slip coolly through his fingers until only the tip was still in his grasp. He plugged it in, his phone beeping once as if now content, just as he got another text message.

[Excited about our "vacation"?]

Nick smiled. So _that's_ why she can't sleep. He went to type his response, but found that it didn't come as easily as he had expected. It was as if the words he wanted to type somehow got caught between his head and his fingers, lingering oddly somewhere around his chest and making his heart flutter. His brow knit itself together as the light of his phone slowly dimmed from inactivity. Was he excited? It was probably the best word to use, given the circumstances. Excited to finally get to see the inside of Shambhala, excited to have what may as well be a full week's paid vacation from work, excited to spend time alone with Judy. He blinked at his phone, eyes coming back into focus. Alone? He snorted humorously. Must still be half-asleep.

[I'm still wondering why Bogo decided to give it to us.] He typed back, figuring that was a fairly safe direction to steer the conversation in case his sleep-addled brain decided to cause any trouble.

[It is a little weird, right? Our fame is our friend, huh? At least we have all of tomorrow to keep figuring it out, right?]

 _Figuring it out_. One corner of Nick's muzzle curled blearily upwards into something that almost-but-not-quite resembled a smirk. His phone blipped again before he could wrangle his thoughts into something that maybe resembled coherency.

[Just noticed the time. Sweet cheese and crackers is it already almost 4? Pretend I wrote "today" in that last text. We have all of today.]

[You should really try to get some rest, Carrots. We've got a lot of work coming up in just a little bit.]

Nick turned off the screen of his phone and set it softly back down on the coffee table. As he stood up, the couch creaking and groaning as it got used to his absence, a small landslide of crumbs fell off of him and pittered across the floor in all directions. He paused for a moment, debating over whether or not he should deal with the mess tonight or leave it until he was slightly more motivated. Eventually settling fairly solidly on 'deal with it later', he made his way once more back into the kitchen and began the ritualistic process of getting a pot of coffee ready to brew. Turning a few little dials and switches on his ancient coffee maker, he eventually set the machine up to brew a large pot just the way he liked it, and then made his way back to the living room. Small bits of crumbs clung annoyingly to the pads of his feet as he bent down to grab his phone. He'd gotten another text.

[Probably wouldn't be able to get back to sleep.]

[Me either. I'm up for good.] He sent back, settling back down on his couch and propping his legs up one at a time on his table. As rude of an awakening as they usually were, Nick absolutely loved the times where he found himself awake during the early hours. Days were often busy and hectic, whereas nights could be spent worrying or planning, but in that short, often ignored window between them… He loved the feeling, or perhaps the lack of feeling; not awake enough to worry about anything, but not tired enough to miss out on the feeling of contented stillness that permeated the air around him. They say the city of Zootopia never sleeps, but it was during times like this that a little cat-nap found its way into some of its smaller streets. His phone buzzed once more.

[Hey, since we're both up, do you just want to get an early start on today? We could head out, grab some coffee, and start getting everything we need for the hotel.]

Nick took a moment to think this over as the coffee maker behind him began to hiss and sputter, sending the intoxicating smell of freshly brewed goodness to nip tantalizingly at the tip of his nose. He wondered idly if she could smell it over the phone. Another text.

[I mean, if that's ok. And if we can find any coffee shop that's open, that is. It is pretty early.]

Nick smiled once again. He backtracked back into the kitchen and switched off his coffee maker, removing the large, half-filled glass carafe and dumping the heavily steaming, heavenly smelling _aqua vitae_ down the drain of his sink. As much as it pained him to waste it, he reasoned it wouldn't be any good by the time he got back. He walked back into his living room, taking a moment to shake a few more loose crumbs off from the bottom of his feet, and then kept on going into the bathroom, phone still in hand.

[A little early morning date, huh? Finally couldn't resist these wily charms, could you.] He replied before setting the phone next to his sink. He pulled aside his shower curtain and began to fiddle with the chrome knobs that controlled the water, trying to find that ever elusive balance between scalding hot and feeling like you were getting pelted with ice cubes. Finally settling on an acceptable temperature somewhere just slightly south of 'melt your fur off', he slipped out of his red and orange striped boxer-shorts and took another glance at his phone, quickly toweling off his hands before picking it up. Another text.

[Funny. Right, so do you want to?]

His smile ticked slightly downwards for a second before bouncing right back into place. He rubbed his thumb across the screen to clear off the steam that was collecting on it and typed his reply. [You'd just be a restless ball of nerves if I said no, and who am I to make you go through that? If you start heading for my place I should be ready by the time you get here. See you in a bit?]

A reply came before he could set his phone back down. [Ok!]

He sat his phone back on the counter, tossing a small cloth over the top of it to protect it from the moisture of the room. He closed his eyes and slipped carefully into the shower, letting the cascading water work slowly across him as his entire world was wreathed in steam. He began to slowly worked his fingers through his fur, paying special attention to the crumb colony that was calling his chest home, as the last vestiges of sleepiness that clung to his mind and body like cobwebs were washed away and carried down the drain.

He stepped out only a few short minutes later, choosing not to linger in case his partner showed up earlier than he was expecting, and to give himself ample time to finish getting ready. He roughly toweled himself off and then stepped, feeling slightly refreshed, onto a drying platform in the corner of his bathroom. He pressed the lone metallic button on the wall above it and began to turn himself slowly around and around in the steady stream of warm air that was doing its best to dry him off. Finally deeming himself to be at an acceptable level of damp, he turned off the fur-dryer and stepped off of the platform, the cold shock of the tile floor on his now pleasantly warmed toes sending a quick shiver through his body, before he started on his way back to his bedroom. He pulled open the top-most drawer on his dresser and rooted around inside of it, trying to find something slightly less offensive than what he normally tended towards. While he didn't find anything wrong with wearing a shirt so obnoxiously loud you could almost taste it, Judy had made it known to him on many occasions that he should probably take a little bit of a look at his fashion choices. As a result, he'd slowly put most of his old wardrobe 'out to pasture' over the course of the last year, donating small sections of his surprisingly large collection of Pawaiian button-ups every time he had the chance.

Finally making up his mind, after realizing he was spending _far_ more time than he was comfortable with deciding on what to wear, he finally settled on a slim-fitting black sweater and a pair of jeans he had somehow managed to hold on to since high school. The sweater was the picture of simplicity; flat black all around with an even, tightly knit texture that clung smoothly to the shape of his chest and back, tapering nicely at his waist, while the jeans, which were nearly old enough to vote at this point, he mused, were a much richer shade of blue than your average cut of denim. There was a noticeable area of faded white that radiated out from the knee and ran almost the entire length of the front of the leg, adding a fair bit of visual interest to break up what was otherwise a completely nondescript choice of outfit. Now fully dressed, he walked out and into his living room, flipping on the light switch as he passed it. Not wanting Judy to think of him as a _complete_ slob, he quickly dusted all of the crumbs up from around the couch and deposited them into the trash can, alongside the empty jug of orange juice, just in case she decided to come inside for whatever reason. Not that she had any reason to, and she never had before, but you never know, right? Just as he did so, a series of sharp staccato knocks drew his attention to the door.

"Ready to go?" Judy asked brightly as Nick opened the door, rubbing any last bits of sleep from the corners of his eyes that had refused to come off in the shower. She was wearing a pair of snugly fitting black jeans that perfectly traced every single one of her athletic curves, with a slightly oversized tan sweater pulled overtop a white shirt to try and fight the autumn chill that was sure to be present this early morning.

"Ready for some coffee," he answered, meeting her smile with one of his own. Before he could shut the door behind him, however, he stopped abruptly and patted at all of his pockets. "Hold on just a tic," he said, answering her questioning look before she got to ask, "forgot my phone." He turned around and disappeared back into his apartment, leaving the door open.

Judy rocked back and forth on her heels patiently as the sounds of clothes being tossed around and increasingly larger-sounding objects being moved emanated from the open door in front of her.

"Need any help?" She eventually called out, slowly sticking her head into doorway. A large crash was her only response for a short moment, followed by an exasperated huff that originated from one of the connecting rooms.

"Yeah, come on in!" He called back to her as the sound of everything that wasn't nailed down being shuffled around resumed right from where it left off. "Can't believe I lost my phone. I was just texting you! How does this happen?"

Judy suppressed a laugh as she stepped inside, latching the door behind her as she took a tentative look around her unfamiliar surroundings. Nick didn't live on what most mammals would consider to be the best side of town, but he had done a fairly admirable job of keeping the interior of his small single-bedroom apartment warm and inviting. Aside from the cleanliness, it was a near textbook example of your average bachelor pad; a single old couch dominated the center of the living room, with a small coffee table placed in front of it. A large tv hung from the wall in front of the table, with a large number of wires and cables snaking out from beneath it that terminated into various bits of electronic equipment and gaming systems. An assortment of shelves full to bursting with movies and other such memorabilia were placed all around the surrounding walls of the main living space and acted to draw you into the center of the room, fully encapsulating you with anything you could possibly want to entertain yourself with. There was even a full-sized arcade cabinet standing proudly in the corner, she noted, somewhat impressed.

"Where'd you have it last?" She called out, taking a cursory look around as she tried to orient herself.

Nick stuck his head out from around the doorway that she assumed lead into his bedroom. "If I knew, we wouldn't be having this problem," he said with an exasperated smile before ducking his head back around the corner.

Judy just shook her head at the comment, letting out a single huff of a laugh before she started to poke around the living room a little bit more thoroughly.

"Any luck?" Nick said loudly, his voice muffled as though he were buried somewhere deep within a closet.

"Not yet," she said back over her shoulder, looking behind the arcade cabinet and feeling along the wall it sat against. Aside from a small family of long forgotten crumbs, who seemed peaceful enough to not be disturbed, and a few crumpled receipts, she wasn't finding much of anything. Given how Nick treated the interior of their police cruiser, she was halfway expecting his apartment to be buried in piles and piles of fast food bags, discarded gum wrappers, and old out of print copies of the absolute pinnacle of reporting that was _The Zootopian Inquirer._ Truth be told, she was somewhat pleasantly surprised to find that he treated his own personal slice of the city with cleanliness and care. She was _also_ somewhat ashamed of how her own apartment, if you could even call her glorified broom closet of a room that, stacked up to his. Here he was, making what she assumed was the same amount she was, and living so much better for it. Pushing that thought to the side, however, she resumed her search.

"Now," she said quietly to herself, _just_ loud enough that Nick might be able to hear it in the next room over, "if I were the phone of a dumb, forgetful fox, where would I be..?"

"Heard that," Nick called back flatly.

Judy smiled to herself and knelt down, pulling up the side-skirt that lined the bottom of the old couch as she peeked beneath it.

Dust… A couple of square, very old looking video-game controllers with the cables wrapped neatly around them… A broken pencil...

"What's this?" she said quietly, pulling out an old, dusty magazine.

Nick's love of terribly written, questionably meritorious conspiracy magazines and news stories was one of the most widely distributed facts about him at the ZPD. There were even a few mammals who worked in some of the departments several steps removed from his and her own that didn't even know his name, yet they still somehow knew about 'that fox-cop that loves the weird tabloids'. She pulled it out from underneath the couch, upsetting a few dust-bunnies in the process, and brought it into the light to get a better look at it, expecting to see some grainy, poorly edited photo of a pig with bat wings or other such nonsense adorning the cover.

Regrettably, it was not a copy of _The Zootopian Enquirer._

Displayed proudly on the front cover against a black background, posing sultrily for all the world to see, was an incredibly beautiful and _incredibly_ _naked_ arctic fox.

Judy's eyes snapped fully open, darting from the magazine to Nick's door and back, her paws gripping the collection of pages tightly as whatever small entities that normally controlled her brain left a quick 'on hiatus' note and bailed, leaving her unable to do anything aside from turn an ever-deepening shade of red.

"Find anything yet?" Nick asked, the dull sound of a mattress being dropped back into place punctuating his words.

Judy nearly jumped out of her skin at his voice. "Ye- No! Nope! Not a thing, ha ha ha!" She replied, just a touch too quickly and a tad too loudly. The noises coming from the bedroom paused, the silence of the apartment causing her skin to crawl as every fiber of her little bunny being screamed at her to jump headfirst out the nearest window.

"Everything OK in there?" asked the fox, his soft footsteps growing louder before he rounded the corner out of his room. He glanced around his living room before his eyes finally landed on his partner, who was kneeling down on the floor next to his couch, blushing redder than a radioactive tomato beneath her normally ashen gray fur. "You look like you've seen a ghost," he said humorously, underhandedly pointing at what she held in her paws as he walked towards her. "What's that?"

"N- Nothing!" She very nearly yelled back as she tried unsuccessfully to cram the dirty, dirty, _dirty_ magazine back from whence it came, only to have the entire universe conspire against her as she accidentally _slammed_ both her paw and the magazine that she had a death grip on into one of the couch's legs that sat concealed beneath the cloth side-skirt. "G-ah!" She cried as her paw recoiled sharply back at her, the unexpected pain causing her to release her grip on the offending publication and send it spinning rapidly across the hardwood floor, only for it to come to rest right at Nick's feet.

She looked down at the magazine, which had naturally remained face-up during its trip across the floor, before she slowly brought her eyes up to reach his, her nose twitching at a rate that almost matched her furiously beating heart.

To her, the world may as well have been moving in slow motion as Nick bent down to pick it up, his worryingly blank expression sending icicles into her spine as her mind kicked into self-destruct mode. ' _Oh no, what's he thinking,'_ she thought. ' _What's he going to do? He knows I saw it! I threw it at him, oh God! What's he going to think of me now! He's going to ask for a new partner, I know it! I'll never see him again oh God no no no n-'_

"Carrots… tsk tsk," He stated slowly, using a tone of voice one would normally use to chide a kit that had gotten its paw stuck in the cookie jar. No longer able to keep one of his trademark smirks from bubbling to the front of his muzzle, he started to thumb almost absently through the magazine's pages. "I never knew you were into stuff like this! Color me shocked, Fluff! Shocked! Appalled, even!" He flipped over another page, his eyes going wide in mock surprise. "Never pegged you as being this into preds, carrots, and vixens at that! That's one heck of a two-fer!"

What little auxillary power was being used to keep Judy's basic thought processes functioning ground to a screeching halt. Her head cocked off to the side as her ears fell flat. Her eyes threatened to take off in separate directions as all her core processes slowly rebooted, threatening to crash and burn once more every second. "Yoo… ge-whoo... hwha?"

"Promise to keep this sort of thing at home next time, yeah?" He said with a laugh, tossing the issue of _Voluptuous Vixens_ back over. She didn't react at all when the magazine landed in her lap, instead continuing to stare blankly at the fox in front of her, her mouth hanging ever so slightly open. "Can't have you bringing your dirty magazines with you every time you come over," he continued to tease.

Finally beginning to regain control of all of her faculties, she shook her head quickly back and forth as she jumped upright. "It- That isn't mine!" She said, her voice teetering right there on the brink of hysterical as she pointed at the… object in question. "It's yours! I mean… No, wait!"

Nick couldn't hold his laughter back any longer. He walked over to her and picked up the magazine, tossing it into his kitchen's trash can as Judy stared at him incredulously, pointing accusingly at him as her mouth hung open. "Carrots, relax," he said, wishing he had his phone with him to take a picture of the dumbfounded and deeply disturbed expression she was wearing. "You didn't find my 'stash', or anything. Must have been one of Finnick's old magazines."

Judy raised an eyebrow, succeeding in finally calming herself down somewhat. "But it was under your couch! It was under _your_ couch and oh God I touched it…"

"Eeeeaasy, bunny," he said, closing the distance between them as her face fell again. That same scarlet shade from earlier began to make a triumphant return to her cheeks and ears, which felt like they were half a second away from bursting into flames. "Finnick and I used to share this place before he got the whole van situation figured out, so I'm always finding little… _mementos_ of his."

Judy took a deep breath, trying to come to terms with what he was saying. ' _It was Finnick's, not Nick's. It was Finnick's, not Nick's. It was Finnick's, not Nick's',_ she repeated in her head over and over as of the foxes in question went back to tearing through his room, laughing the whole way there.

"Hey, Nick?" She asked, her voice finally beginning to lose the waver that had taken over it.

"Hmm?"

"Do you, uh… have a bathroom?"

His voice echoed dully out from his room, sounding like he was buried back within the closet. "Down this hall and to the left. Last door."

As the sound of the bathroom door closing reached his ears, Nick let out an enormous sigh and flopped down, face first, into a large pile of forgotten clothes in his closet. It was only through sheer force of will and years upon years of practice hustling in the streets that he hadn't erupted in embarrassment only moments before. ' _How could i have forgotten about that stupid magazine,'_ he thought to himself, laughing a dry, wheezing, exhausted laugh into the pile of underwear that was supporting his muzzle. Judy had just found one of his old… _ahem._ One of _FINNICK's_ old gentleman's magazines, he corrected, trying to save himself from any further mental anguish over the fact that his partner and probably very innocent, he thought, best friend had just stumbled upon a piece of himself that should have absolutely never seen the light of day. He was just glad she hadn't found any copies of his more recent, much more distinctly lapine indulgences… He made a mental note to burn every last one of them the next time he was home. Print was a dying medium, anyway. Time to get with the times.

….

Judy looked at herself in Nick's large bathroom mirror as the sound of a flushing toilet slowly faded away. "Finnick's… Finnick's…" she kept repeating quietly under her breath. She let out a sharp snort of a laugh as she smoothed down a few stray strands of fur on her cheeks. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and quickly checked at the time before she froze, staring blankly at the black rectangle in her paw.

She let out a long sigh as she pulled open her contact list. "Dumb, dumb bunny," she chided as she selected Nick's number and called it. She turned and made to reach for the bathroom door, but paused when a gentle, rhythmic buzzing came from the counter behind her. Tossing aside a small washcloth, she smiled as she declined the call from 'Carrots' on her partner's phone before picking it up and heading back out to the living room.

"Found it!" She said happily, loud enough to make sure Nick heard it in the other room. It took a few moments before he appeared, smoothing the fur out around his cheeks as he rounded the corner to meet her. "You'd forget you head if it wasn't attached to your neck, right?" She teased playfully as he rolled his eyes in response. She handed him his phone, which he quickly pocketed with a reassuring pat on top of it just to be sure.

Now both fully awake, they made their way out of the apartment. Nick flipped the lightswitch on his way out before locking the door. He gave the knob a testing wiggle, making sure it was locked, before rejoining with his partner.


	4. Once Per Day

Chapter 4 - Once Per Day

Nick wrapped his fingers tighter around the thin paper cup he held in his paws, his greedy digits trying to soak every bit of life-giving warmth out of it as they could in a bid to thaw some of the ice that he was sure had formed in his veins during their trip over. He pulled the plastic lid off of the vessel amid a burst of steam and dropped it with a quiet clatter onto the round tabletop in front of him. He took aim and flicked it towards his partner, who was seated opposite of him enjoying a cup of her own. The improvised missile missed and clacked harmlessly off of the window to her left, momentarily drawing her attention to the site of the impact before she levelled her eyes at him with an amused glare.

As one would expect, the best coffee to be found in the entire city was always going to be nestled away in some of its coldest corners. Nick had tried to suggest going to one of the many Snarlbucks locations that dotted the city like a bad case of fleas, but his partner had quickly vetoed that idea, instead insisting that they try one of the more 'artsy' places just across the border into Tundratown. Properly dressed for the excursion or not, Nick had finally relented. Not without protest, of course; the entire time they were walking from his apartment to the large dividing wall that separated the two districts, Nick had been trying to convince his partner of the benefits of the chain restaurant- You always know what you're getting, it's always the same price, it was a shorter walk and on the way to where they needed to be going anyway… But Judy wasn't going to have any of it. She had made very clear that they were on their way to a particular favorite stop of hers that she'd found just shortly after the Nighthowler incident. Nick had tried saying one last thing to try and convince her not to go-a bit of information that should be clear as day to any mammal that lived in the city-but she stood steadfast. Unflinching resolve or not, his argument still rang true-

Boy-howdy was it cold in Tundratown this time of year.

"Real mature," she said, the smallest bit of a smile threatening to break free at the edges of her lips. Her words lingered in the space between them in the form of a hazy cloud of steam, gently rising towards the ceiling. She brought her own cup up and took a long, indulgent drink before setting it carefully back down, twisting the vessel back and forth between her fingers. Wisps of silken warmth trailed from the cup and wreathed around her paws and arms as the small turbulences caused by the motion of her paws sent little spirals of the ghostly vapor this way and that.

"Hey, my aim would be better if I could feel my paws," he countered, reaching across to the windowsill where the lid landed. He picked it up and reset it back in front of him, pulling a finger back against his thumb to try flicking it a second time. His finger swished through thin air, however, as Judy snatched it from him just as he was about to let it fly.

"Oh, quit complaining, you big baby," she said, laughing as Nick pulled his black sweater even tighter around him, contouring his shoulders. Judy couldn't help but let her gaze linger _juuuust_ a little bit longer than usual, and didn't find any harm in doing so. While 'brawny' he was not, his time spent at the police academy was most definitely not wasted. The rigorous exercise and constant training that it entailed had certainly done wonders for his physique. Nick had always been more on the slim side, as far as foxes were concerned, and so just a few pounds of muscle added here and there had brought out a very enticing level of definition to his silhouette. "I've seen your 'perfect aim'," she continued, setting the bottom of her cup into the upturned lid as if it were a small saucer, preventing him from making a grab for it. "Your next shot would've probably bounced off one of the other couples behind us," she said, hooking a thumb over her shoulder at a pair of elk seated in a booth located a few down from theirs.

 _Other couples, huh?_ Nick took another sip of his drink, savoring the way the warmth funneled through him from tip to tail. He raised an eyebrow in quiet anticipation, waiting for his partner to notice her little slip so he could start teasing her for it. That realization, however, never came.

"So where were you, again?" She said, seemingly oblivious to her earlier choice of words. "Something about a shopping cart?" She started to fiddle with the lid beneath her cup, spinning it lazily beneath the tip of a finger.

"Right!" He said, tapping a knuckle onto the table as his thoughts fell back into place. "So, again, we'd done this plenty of times, right? And nothing had ever gone south before, so we figured the whole thing'd go off without a hitch."

"Uh huh?" Judy coaxed along. She'd already heard this part of the story, but didn't want to risk setting him back yet again by interrupting.

"Well," he said with a laugh, licking a few stray drops of now cool coffee from his muzzle, "things went south. Jeddie caught on that the _'genuine'_ cashmere we were delivering was just a little bit less than genuine, and flipped. Now, this guy was never exactly the most…" he paused, searching for the correct word to label one of the more interesting mammals he used to have dealings with in his past, "... _stable,_ of mammals. He was always bouncing from one drug to the next, vice to vice, never staying on one thing for long. As you can guess, this made him a little quick to fire. So, next thing you know, me and Finn are barreling down this little side alley in a shopping cart at the speed of sound, running for our lives, as this bull just goes _ballistic_ chasing after us, stampeding into just about everything, foaming at the mouth, the whole nine. That was a fun day, let me tell you," he finished dryly, rolling his eyes. He subconsciously pawed at his shoulder as though testing and prodding at some long-healed injury. It was a motion that he carried out with a distant, but still very present, familiarity.

This didn't go unnoticed, and Judy narrowed her eyes at the act. Her eyes raised to meet his, but he was too busy looking out of the window at a passing group of tourists to notice. For the second time in just as many days, Judy found herself wondering about just what type of danger Nick used to find himself in. He'd told her a handful of stories of his old exploits with Finnick et al, and had even divulged a few of the longer, more involved cons that he'd had a hand in, yet always seemed to find a way out of explaining more. She'd expected herself to be horrified of everything that he'd done-she'd spent her entire life learning to fight against the kinds of things that used to make up his everyday-but she just couldn't bring herself to feel anything other than a deep sense of curiosity for the way the fox used to live. His life was a long-shut window into a world that she would never get to experience. Her job as a police officer meant that she'd seen her fair share of the city's underbelly, of course, but by very definition of what she did meant that she'd never be anything more than an outside force pressing in. She'd never get to experience any of it from the 'other side', and so she found herself more and more often trying to dig for every little bit that he would give up to her.

So far, however, she'd found digging into the fox's past to be a lot easier said than done. She had to be incredibly careful with how she'd poke or prod back into his life, as one wrong word or a question too far would send Nick's defenses flying back in from all angles, and the mask he'd worn for so many years would slide back solidly into place, sealing off everything that he used to be back deep within him as he carried on, seemingly easygoing and unchanged. She knew better, though. She knew him.

Nick had been expecting his story to elicit at least a hintof a laugh, so her silence caught him off guard. He paused and looked back at her, tracing her line of sight back to his shoulder before quickly dropping his arm back down, coughing once nervously into an open paw. "So, yeah. Jeddie never really reeled it back in after that, and the cops picked him up out in the middle of nowhere about a week later, naked as the day he was born and tweaked out of his gourd. Fun times."

There was a very uncomfortable beat of silence.

"Did you ever get… hurt?" Judy asked, her paws still fidgeting with her now half-empty coffee.

"Hmm?" Nick's ears perked almost imperceptibly upwards at her question. _Almost_ imperceptibly.

"I mean, you have all these stories of cons gone wrong, and they all end in some narrow escape, just barely squeaking by against all odds. Did anything ever go wrong?" She wasn't sure why she was asking, if she was being honest with herself. She knew that her question was all but guaranteed to lock Nick's past back behind his walls, as they always had before, and even if she did manage to get a straight answer out of him she doubted it would leave either of them feeling any better for it. Still, though, the curiosity burning within her wouldn't ever die should she leave the question unasked, no matter what the outcome may be.

Nick took a quiet moment to himself, drumming his fingers back and forth rhythmically on the table. His uncovered coffee, now cold, sat forgotten off to his side. He took a deep breath in and sighed deeply, his breath forming a thick cloud around him. Normally, he'd ignore a question like that. He'd tell a bad joke, change the subject, or just ask a question of his own to try and throw her off, but he found himself unable, or perhaps just unwilling, to dodge it this time. In the grand scheme of things, he supposed, it was an easy enough question to answer. He knew there were dozens of much sharper questions hiding behind the eyes of the rabbit in front of him, just waiting for the right time to be asked, and so he found himself feeling reluctantly thankful that it was a simple one that had bubbled to the forefront this time.

Judy's ears began to tick downwards. "I mean, if you don't it's… You don't have to ans-"

"No, no," he interrupted gently. He took in another breath, holding it for a few seconds this time. It wasn't fair to her for him to hide so much. Maybe now, and maybe to this bunny, he could finally lift the heavy veil that had been covering vast swathes of his life. Hell, it might actually do him some good to finally get it all out into the open. "I know what you're expecting," he continued, trying to buy himself just a bit more time to set his thoughts in order. "You're expecting me to dodge it, like I've done every other time you've tried to do a little spelunking. I'm tired of all that."

His response caused Judy's eyes to briefly meet his before they drifted sheepishly off to one side, burying themselves into the corner of the booth against the wall.

"So, did I ever get hurt," He said. He let out a short puff of breath before continuing. "Yes. Yes I did." He held up a single finger as her mouth opened, stopping her before she could say anything else. "Condition, though, on those questions."

Judy's ears perked back up, her hesitance forgotten as Nick's voice returned to a normal tone. "Condition?"

"Yes. Condition. If you really want to peek behind the curtains, I won't stop you. I can see how much it eats at you wanting to know a little bit more. BUT," he said, holding up a single finger again, "I get to dodge a question. Only one, and only once a day, but I get to dodge one. I… might need a bit more time for some things than others. Y'know, the _real_ fun questions." He emphasized the last bit with a flourish of his fingers.

"One per day, huh?" She asked. The fox nodded. "Alright, fair." She wiggled a questioning finger at where he had been pawing, "So, how did you hurt your shoulder?"

"That," he said, an almost cheerful tone worming its way into his voice, "is an excellent question. But."

"...But, that's your 'once-per-day' today, right?" Judy deflated a bit into her seat, flicking the lid to Nick's coffee back weakly at him.

"No, it's not. I'll be more than happy to answer that one for you, but I'd rather not do it in a coffee-shop." He used his head to indicate a group of mammals sitting at a table behind them.

Judy looked over, and caught them just as they all looked down, suddenly paying their cups far more attention than they rightly deserved. She let out a huff at the would-be eavesdroppers and began to gather her things.

Following her lead, Nick downed the last bit of his cold coffee and hopped out of the booth. "Walk and talk?" He said, passing his partner as they headed towards the exit.

The full brunt of Tundratown's bitingly cold air washed over them as they left the confines of the coffee shop. Nick and Judy walked side by side down the snow-dusted sidewalk, any leftover warming effects the coffee had imbued them with now thoroughly worn off.

"So," Judy began again, "your shoulder?" She was doing everything in her power to keep her teeth from chattering, not wanting to give the fox the satisfaction of seeing her give in to the cold.

Nick, however, unlike his bunny counterpart, had been evolutionarily graced with the benefit of a much thicker undercoat to keep him warm. While it certainly didn't keep him nice and tropical, he was only justbeginning to dip south of a comfortable temperature.

"Got shot." Nick replied dismissively, running his thumb over his nails as he examined them.

"You WHAT!?"

Nick smiled as his partner's face flashed through at least 19- _wait, no, make that an even 20-_ different emotions.

"Again: got shot," he said, still smiling. "Not an unusual risk to take on, knowing what I used to do, don't you think? The ZPD's called us into the aftermath of a deal-gone-wrong enough times for you to know that it's pretty high up on the 'things that could happen' list."

Judy was at a complete loss for words. She knew Nick used to be a 'criminal', and despite however much she liked to try and sugarcoat it, or gloss over that little tidbit of information in her mind, it didn't change it. Being a 'criminal' came with risks. Her mind slowly began to spin back up to speed as she processed everything.

"You got… shot." She looked up at him, her eyes an equal mix of horror, confusion, and curiosity all flipping back and forth in turn.

"Yup," Nick continued. "Y'know, with a bullet? Bang bang?" He made dual finger-guns at Judy, who made a noise of disgust as her expression blinked from horrified to disbelief. "Wasn't the first time, wasn't the last. This one, though" he reached back up and rubbed at his shoulder again, "was the only one that stuck with me, for whatever reason. Everything else healed up nice and pretty."

Her expression flip-booked back over into horrified for a moment before she leveled her eyes blankly at the horizon. "You got shot… multiple times." Was he joking? She honestly couldn't tell-never could, with him-and it drove her crazy. "You really got shot more than once?"

Nick nodded once, his smile dimming as he relived every one of the encounters internally.

 _Ok, so he is being serious. Well, uh… "_ Well, uh…"

Nick laughed, his smile returning when he saw his partners face. "Right? And to answer your next question: yes, I will tell you how it happened." He drew his sweater tighter around himself, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "But only once we get somewhere warm."

….

"Alright, so where?" Judy asked, craning up onto the tips of her toes.

They had continued on their way back from Tundratown with little incidence, and had decided to swing back by Nick's apartment to come up with a plan of attack for the day. This was doubly good for Judy, as well, as her rapidly increasing pool of questions and newly granted permission to ask them had her near full to bursting with curiosity.

Nick knelt down to her level, using his apartment building's staircase banister to steady himself. "Right up here," he said, pointing with his free hand, "just a hair below my collarbone."

Judy pulled the corner of his sweater to the side and began to poke through the forest of reddish orange fur held within. "Geez, Nick, ever heard of a pair of trimmers?"

"With fur as perfect as this? Not a chance."

Judy rolled her eyes as her fingers continued to probe, the strands fading to white as she dug deeper. A few short seconds later, she found what she was searching for: there, hidden beneath the fox's coat, was a quarter-sized scar. She gently ran the tip of her finger overtop the highest ridge of the mark, tracing its shape. "You weren't kidding, were you?"

"Nope, I was telling the truth: my fur really is perfect."

Judy didn't respond for a moment, still looking over the scar. It was a lighter color than the surrounding skin, wider on one side than the other, with a noticeable divot in the center. "It still hurts?"

Nick rolled his shoulder back and forth testingly as his partner continued to probe. "'Well, 'hurts' is probably the wrong word. Can I still feel it? Absolutely, but it doesn't keep me up at night anymore."

Judy gave the mark a gentle prod with her finger. Nick giggled at the sensation, apparently ticklish there. "Huh, wasn't expecting _that_ reaction," she said, filing away the fact that Nick was ticklish in case it ever came in handy. "When did it happen?" She asked, letting go of his sweater and letting it slide back into place.

The fox took a deep breath as he stood back up, his face creasing into thought. "Sev- Eight? Eight years ago, I think. Not really a big story behind this one. A buyer I had lined up for something-I honestly don't even remember what it was anymore-decided he'd rather not pay. Bang, bang, fall, hospital."

"Hospital? There wasn't any mention of that in your rec-" Judy's eyes snapped wide open as her brain tried to slam on her mouth's brakes. "I, uh, I mean…"

She maaaay have done a bit of spying _research_ on Nick's police records, just a peek or two. She was purely academic in her endeavors, she'd have you know; she was trying to find out just how good of a fit he would be for the police force, given past activities. She certainly wasn't trying to pry into his hidden past or anything like that, no sirree.

"Judy Hopps, you snooped through my personal file, didn't you?" Nick said, putting a hand against his chest in mock hurt. "Now that's devious, bunny." He leaned in conspiratorially towards the rapidly reddening rabbit. "Tell me- find anything good?"

Judy couldn't do anything more than look horrified at her accidental slip.

"Relax, Carrots. I don't mind," he continued, standing back up straight. "I know I haven't exactly been the most open of books around you. Really, though, was there anything interesting in there? Nobody's ever let me look at it before."

"E-uh, no? I mean, no." She coughed sharply into a her hand. "There… wasn't really much of anything."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"It had you listed on a couple 'known associate' lists, and a few unpaid parking tickets _,"_ she glared jokingly at him.

Nick simply shrugged.

"Other than that, though," she continued, "nothing. How do you manage to get shot-on multiple occasions!-and never have it show up on your record?"

Nick tilted his head back one way and then another slowly, trying to decide how he wanted to word his next sentence. "Well, when I say 'hospital'..."

Judy's ears fell flat as she crossed her arms. "Nick?"

"Hey, health insurance wasn't exactly priority numero uno back then, and going to the hospital with a suspicious gunshot wound, _especially_ as a fox with a suspicious gunshot wound? Yeah, you're gonna raise a few of the wrong kinds of eyebrows. Besides, it was hard enough for me to get into the academy as it was, can you imagine what it would have been like if I'd had to explain everything on a three-foot-long police record? I'd say everything worked out just peachy in the end."

The next point that Judy was going to make dissolved away in her mind. As much as she hated to admit it, he did have a point. Whenever Nick had first applied for the ZPD academy, she'd had to leverage her newfound fame to even get them to let him in the door, for as progressive as the city police force billed itself to be, old prejudices die hard. "So if you didn't go to the 'hospital' hospital, what did you do?"

"Knew a guy who knew a guy." Nick said, calling on one of his favorite phrases. "Went to his place and got patched up, all good as new." He rolled his shoulder around in its socket once again. "Alright, maybe not new, but still pretty good given the guy that stitched me up was as drunk as a skunk when we dropped by at 3am. Literally. He was a drunk skunk."

Judy scoffed. "How are you even alive right now?"

Once again, Nick just shrugged. "Some cosmic sense of humor somewhere, probably. C'mon," he said, motioning for her to follow him up the stairs to his apartment, "let's get today sorted."

Judy nodded and fell into step behind him, the stairs just a touch too large for her to take without a bit of extra effort on her part. "Do you still have the packet the chief gave you?"

Nick reached to top of the flight of stairs and unlocked his apartment's door, with Judy close behind. "Yep, should be on the kitchen counter," he said, letting his partner inside before closing the door.

Judy made a line for the kitchen and found the packet, just where Nick said it'd be. She brushed a few stray coffee grounds off of it before sliding the list of what they needed to bring with them out of it. "There's not really a lot more we need," she said, giving it a cursory glance. "I have most of this back at my apartment, and I'm sure you have a lot of this tucked away somewhere. Aren't foxes supposed to be packrats?"

Nick's hand appeared from the other side of the couch, holding up two fingers, one after the other. "A: I take offense to that statement, and B: Yes."

Judy let out a small snort of laughter before continuing down the list. "Spare clothes, a few odds and ends of equipment we already have… huh," she stopped when she reached an item about halfway down. "Guess I'll need to pick up a swimsuit."

Nick's head perked up from the other side of the couch where he'd planted himself. "It says we need to bring swimsuits? They weren't kidding about the whole 'vacation' thing, were they?"

"I guess it'll help us blend in; nothing says 'off duty' like a day at the pool," she said. "Let's see… Got that… Got that… Do you keep your tranq pistol here or at the armory?" She called out through the kitchen.

"Locked drawer in my bedroom," the fox replied, reclining further into the couch. His fitful night's sleep and this morning's early rise were starting to catch up to him. "Remind me to grab it before we head back to the chief tomorrow.

Nick blinked heavily, the sun suddenly beginning to squeeze through the gap between the top of his curtains and the window behind them. He began debating whether or not he should put on another pot of coffee to get him through the rest of the morning, but just as he was about to force himself off the couch, a familiar smell caught his nose.

"Are you…" he started, sniffing the air as he sat up straight. "Are you making coffee?"

" _Made_ coffee. Past tense," Judy replied, walking towards the couch with two full cups of pitch black. "You blinked out for a few minutes there, so I figured you could used one." She held out the cup towards him, but his bewildered expression gave her pause. "...That's ok, right?" She asked, suddenly worried that maybe she shouldn't have taken it upon herself to make herself at home in his kitchen. This was only the second time she'd ever been in his apartment, after all. Did he think it was weird? _Was_ it weird?

"You are perfect," he said blearily, taking the cup from her offering hand as he slumped back into the swaddling embrace of his sofa. "Did I really drift off, there?" He asked, not feeling like any significant amount of time had passed.

"Just long enough for me to figure out how to work your coffee maker," she replied, sitting down next to him. She silently chastised herself for letting herself get so worried. "Were the dial settings written in-"

"Prench? Yep. You figured out how to work the stupid thing a lot faster than I did. Either that, or I was asleep for longer than you're telling me."

Judy shook her head with a smile as she took a sip of the coffee, taking care not to scorch herself in the process. "Why on earth do you have an antique Prench coffee maker?"

Nick shrugged. "I sort of just end up with things. See that M.A.I.M. cabinet over there?" He gestured weakly in the general direction of the arcade cabinet Judy had noticed earlier that morning. "I came home from work one day-"

"'Work'", Judy interjected, with heavy finger quotes.

"Right, I came home from 'work' one day," Nick mimicked her finger quotes and shot her a wry smile, much to her amusement, "and there was a giant flat-pack box sitting in the middle of the room here. Absolutely no clue where it came from, who gave it to me, or why, but I learned a long time ago not to look a gift horse in the mouth."

"Surely you have some idea of where it came from, right?"

Nick shook his head. "Not a clue," he said around of sip of coffee. He smacked his lips together, "Ooooh yeah, that's the stuff. But yeah, the cabinet, the coffee maker, my first car, and a whole lot more all sort of ended up falling into my lap. Not complaining at all, of course, but there was a span of a few years in my life where I'd wake up wondering what I'd end up having to deal with before the day ended."

"And some days, that ended up being shot?"

Nick smirked. "And some days, that meant getting shot." He took another sip of his coffee. "But some days it meant a free food," he continued cheerily, with a far-off look in his eye. "Those were the best days."

Judy let out a sharp laugh, amazed that the fox could go from getting shot to getting food in the same breath, like they were both somehow comparable. "Is that you trying to drop a hint, Wilde?"

Nick put a hand behind his head and stretched, yawning deeply. "Food would be nice. Could we grab something while we're out? If I don't drop something on top of this coffee I'll get all jittery."

His words were lost to her, however, as Judy found herself somewhat unexpectedly stricken by Nick's yawn. Normally, the act would have been completely benign and quickly forgotten, but, for a reason that currently escaped her, she found herself watching him just that little bit more closely today. This extra attention, though, now reminded her of something that she found very easy to forget in her day to day; Nick was a predator. He wasn't a predator in the same way and sense that an otter would be, or a meerkat, or even a raccoon, where their ancestry and ancient ways could easily be forgotten to society and its quick leaps to judgement. No, Nick was a predator in the most traditional and unforgettable of senses, and the yawn she found herself watching highlighted every facet of that label in a painful level of detail. His teeth, bone white daggers with needle-sharp points, stretched from beneath his lips as his tongue, long and languid, swept outwards and curled up at the bottom of his arrow pointed muzzle. Her mind, despite her inner protesting, found itself taken back to their time at the museum, where she found herself briefly held within his jaws. In another life, long ago, the many pinpoints of pressure she had felt testing against her fur and flesh would have left far more than a tingling sensation behind. The memory sent a silvery rush throughout her, which she was only just able to catch before it turned into a tremble.

Judy shook her head quickly to rid herself of the image, but found herself unable-or maybe unwilling-to excise it completely from her mind. _Wait, what was he saying…? Something about… Coffee! Right. Coffee._ "And yet here you are yawning?" _Smooth, Judes._

Nick waggled his fingers mysteriously, seemingly oblivious to his partner's current inner workings. "My life is an enigma."

Judy laughed nervously, which earned her an amused expression from her partner.

"You alright there, Carrots?"

Judy blinked rapidly, focusing every bit of will she had into not letting her eyes drift back down to his muzzle. "Yep! Just, uh, a little sleepier than I thought."

Nick huffed in agreement. "You and me both, Fluff." He lifted himself slightly on the couch and patted at his pockets, searching for something. "Hey, big favor?"

Judy's ears perked up. "Yeah?"

"Run to the bedroom and grab my badge? I don't think my legs work right now, and I forgot to grab it before we went out to coffee."

Judy rolled her eyes and rooted around behind her for something to throw at him. Finding a small pillow, she lobbed it at his face as she stood up.

Nick didn't react in the slightest as the missile bounced harmlessly off of his muzzle with a muted ' _fwump'_. He turned slowly to face her, a goofy expression adorning his face. "So is that a yes?"

"Which door?" She asked, already walking towards the small hallway on the opposite end of the apartment.

"Right across the hall from the bathroom, the door should be open," he called back blindly over the couch. "Can't miss it."

Judy didn't respond as she found the door in question. Giving it a gentle push, it swung inwards. She took a step forwards and ran a hand along the inside edge of the room, clicking the lightswitch on when her fingers finally stumbled across it.

 _So this is the fox's 'den',_ she thought humorously, allowing herself to take a harmlessly curious look around. "I'm not going to find any more of 'Finnick's' magazines in here, am I?" She called out sarcastically behind herself, and heard her partner blow a small raspberry in answer. She smiled to herself and stepped around a few stray pieces of clothing that had been tossed here and there along the floor and made her way to his nightstand where a glint of gold had caught her attention. Picking up Nick's badge, she gave it a quick polish with the underside of her wrist. Just as she was about to turn around and head back to him, however, something else caught her eye: There, on his nightstand, was a small silver frame that held within it a picture of a happy, smiling family foxes. Nick had shown her a picture of him as a kid wearing his junior ranger scout uniform before, so she was able to place the young boy in the middle as him, however many years ago it may have been. She was not, however, able to place the two foxes that stood on either side of him, their hands on his shoulders as they all smiled brightly, frozen in time. It only took her a moment, though, before her eyes began to widen in understanding: this was Nick's family-his mother and his father-many years ago.

Judy directed her eyes away from the picture, chastising herself for looking at something obviously so very personal. Nick had never said a word about his parents-not willingly, anyhow. She remembered asking whether or not they would be there to attend his academy graduation, and he'd simply skirted around it, as though he'd had a _lot_ of practice dodging that question in particular. She decided not to press the issue afterwards, figuring she could file it away into the ever-growing 'when he's ready to talk about it' folder- a folder that had just had all the dust blown off of it thanks to the picture in front of her. She patted at her pocket to make sure the badge was still there before she turned and left the room, flicking the lights off before pulling the door back to.

When she returned to the living room, Nick was lying down on the couch, his back propped up against the armrest with his right arm splayed out across the back. His ears perked up as he heard her footsteps approaching, and he slit one of his eyes open.

"Did you find my badge?" He asked, letting his one open eye close again. A small object landed on his stomach, about the right size and weight to be his badge, he figured. "Thanks."

Judy walked around the edge of the couch and sat down on the small portion of it that wasn't currently being smothered in fox. She smoothed down her pant legs as she sat, and began thinking of way to try and ask the litany of questions that had raced their way to the forefront of her mind during her short trip back from his bedroom. The more she tried to narrow it down to one question to ask, though, the more jumbled the whole set became. It was as if every question she had was trying to shoulder and force its way out at once, which only served to jam up the only way out and just sort of… make the questions angry? _That's it,_ she thought to herself, _I'm officially losing it._

Nick cracked his eye open again when he felt the couch shift. His partner was picking at one of her paws, staring past them and into empty space, lost in thought. He used one of his feet to prod at her, which caused her to start slightly. She turned and looked at him, turning her hands out in a 'what the heck was that for' motion.

"Out with it, Fluff," he said with a coaxing smile. "What's on your mind?"

"There might have…" _No, he'll know exactly what I'm talking about, so there's no sense trying to dance around it._ She took a deep breath as she rearranged the words in her head, using her inner 'cop voice' to order the jumble that was trying to force it's way through her mind into a nice, orderly, single file line. "I saw that picture of your parents- the one you keep on your nightstand."

Nick's eyes widened at hearing this, but not in surprise. It was more of an… anticipation? She couldn't quite put her finger on it. It was as if he'd silently made a bet with himself, simultaneously won and lost it, and was now waiting to see what the outcome was.

There was an extended moment of silence between the pair, which left Judy's inner monologue to run its own self-destructive course while the calmer, more rational portion of her mind-a portion that she found to be somewhat lacking today-tried its best to reign in the doomsaying. Nick finally broke the silence with a gentle 'hmm', which broke her out of her reverie and back to the present, and back into the tension that it carried.

The fox reclined even further into the couch, and act that Judy would have thought impossible if she hadn't been there to see it with her own two eyes.

"That's my favorite picture of us all together," he said slowly, his eyes still closed. His soft-spoken words carried with them the weight of countless memories of a life long lost. "I think that may be…" he said, his brow narrowing. "Yeah. That one's my favorite."

Nick sat himself up on the couch and took a deep breath before clapping his hands together. "So," he began. "Big day today. Lots to do, right?"

Judy smirked dimly at his attitude change, her eyes meeting his. It was the farthest she'd ever seen him drop his walls in regards to his parents, but a part of her still wasn't satisfied. _I'll get to know the_ real _you soon, you big emotional goof,_ she thought to herself. "Yep, big day," she said, holding up the packing list and tapping it twice. "Lot we have to get."

"Right, so no sense wasting time in here. Want to get st-"

"What were their names?"

Nick stopped mid thought, and his ears fell slowly down.

"I'm not going to make you waste your 'once-per-day', don't worry," she said, watching the cogs in his mind turn as they tried to formulate an escape plan should she try to dive any deeper. "I… just want to know who they were."

Nick smiled. "Martha and John."


	5. Check In

_**Author's Note:**_ _Well, this chapter certainly got away from me. Ten thousand words and I'm actually almost happy with it, which is a pretty big first for me. Instead of obsessing over fixing everything about this that I don't like (and the exercise in futility that it would be), I decided to just push it on out and set everything back in order with the next few chapters. Hopefully I end up liking it after a while._

Chapter 5 - Check In

"Ah, Officer Hopps, Officer Wilde," Bogo began from behind his desk, his gaze unreadable from behind the spectacles perched snugly atop his nose. "I take it you've both completed your preparations?"

Nick pushed the door closed behind him and his partner as they both entered the dimly lit office. He hopped up into the large chair in front of the chief's desk, followed shortly by Judy. After their morning coffee the day prior they had spent several hours running around the city from shop to shop as they picked up any odds and ends that they didn't already have that their packing list called for. An extra dress shirt here, a swimsuit there… Their final busy, yet uneventful day had come to a close as they checked off the final few items and parted ways.

"All packed up and ready for a week in paradise," Nick said, taking off his customary mirrored shades and pocketing them as Judy sidled up next to him in the large chair, groaning internally at his actions.

"Good," replied Bogo, sliding open one of his desk's drawers. He pulled a white envelope from the top of the stack within it and sat it off to the side, noting the curious looks his officers directed its way. "Make no mistake, though. Undercover or not you are still on official ZPD business, and will be expected to behave accordingly. I'm trusting you, both of you," he said, roving his eyes slowly across both officers seated across from him, "to handle this professionally, and in a manner befitting the ZPD."

"Professionally, but not _too_ professionally, right? Don't want to let on that we're there on official business," Nick quipped, trying to get a feel for Bogo's current mood which he was finding… difficult, at best, to place. There was a level of restraint in the chief's words that worried a less reasonable part of him.

"That is correct," Bogo replied after a short pause, doing nothing to quell the portion of Nick's mind that was now rapidly working its way towards a majority. "This is a rare opportunity for the city, and must be handled with a certain level of delicacy. Again, I am putting a large amount of trust in the both of you to be able to adapt and handle this." His attention shifted to the smaller of the two officers. Hopps?"

Judy straightened up in the chair, meeting the large cape buffalo's eyes. "Yes, Chief?"

Bogo picked up the envelope he had retrieved from his drawer a few moments earlier and passed it to her. "Open this while you are on the way to the resort."

She took the envelope from him and turned it over in her hands. The outside was blank, giving no indication as to what might be inside.

"In it, you'll find any last minute information the ZBI decided you would need to know, but that the rest of us here at the ZPD wouldn't," he continued, answering at least a few of her unspoken questions. "A lot of this comes from above me, Hopps, and I've told you everything that I can. Trust me when I say I don't like this situation any more than either of you do."

"Anything else we need to know before we head out?" asked Nick, briefly looking down at the small envelope that his partner held, trying to guess at what might be in it.

"Did you read the packet that was given to you?" Replied Bogo with a question of his own. His voice normally carried with it an almost tangible weight which drove his points tirelessly and commandingly forwards, which made today's flat sentences and rounded words all the more unnerving.

Nick nodded. Truth be told, he'd read it more completely and with more attention than anything he'd ever read in his entire life. This was a large, completely out-of-left-field assignment, and he'd tried to learn as much about it as he could. The packet, while thorough, seemed to intentionally leave a few aspects of the 'mission' unclear. While he was no stranger to improvisation, the thought of having to think on his feet in such close proximity to more or less every crime boss in the city left an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Then no. Any further questions you have do not need to be answered. There are things that I know that you do not need to, and as soon as you open that," he said, gesturing towards the envelope in Judy's hand, "I'm sure the opposite will be true as well."

"That's… unusual," said Judy, a little bit less than comfortable with that answer.

Bogo sighed. Despite his best efforts, the familiar trappings of a headache were beginning to make themselves apparent. "Very little about this is 'usual', Hopps," he said, rubbing his temples, "but it's what we've been given to work with, so we have to do the best we can. All of us." He paused, taking a large breath. "Best case scenario is nothing happens and you both get a ZPD sanctioned 'vacation' out of it," he said, looking pointedly at the fox as he mirrored his earlier choice of words. "Any further questions?"

Nick made to lower himself from the chair. "Are we allowed to ask any?"

"No."

"Then nope, I think that about covers it," Nick continued as his partner hopped down next to him.

Bogo gestured disinterestedly towards the door. "Check-in is at 3:30 this afternoon at the main reception desk in Shambhala. I'll see you both in one week's time, hopefully to a good report. Dismissed."

The door latched closed behind them as Nick and Judy both stepped out of the Chief's office and onto the second-story mezzanine, the light of day landing around them as it cut through the large patchwork glass dome that occupied most of the building's roof.

"Did Bogo seem a bit… off, to you?" Asked Judy as they made their way down the stairs.

Nick took a moment to reply, trying to quash the last remaining remnants of the intrusive thoughts about his partner their previous day out had given him before they became even more of a nuisance. "Big guy seemed a bit anxious," he answered, trying to stay casual. For better or worse, he'd found these 'distractions' occurring much more frequently over the past few weeks, with every single one of them stemming from his partner.

Judy nodded in agreement as they reached the bottom of the stairs and began making their way towards the main exit, oblivious to the havoc she was wreaking in her partner's mind. "I guess I can't really blame him," she said, smiling as she returned a quick wave back at Clawhauser as they passed the reception desk. "Sending two of his most junior officers off on a ZBI case... He probably has a lot of eyes on him right now. Still can't help but wonder why _us_ , though."

"He told us why: we're _famous,_ " Nick replied, letting the last word slide off of his tongue with a sarcastic edge. "Sending your most easily recognized officers undercover with no prior experience with this sort of thing… Well, if that's not just the most foolproof plan I've ever heard of, I don't know what is." He held open the main door and let a smiling Judy pass through first, having to jog a couple of steps to catch up with her. "I don't blame the big guy one bit for being nervous," he continued, falling into step next to her. "If anything, I commend his nerves for putting up with as much as they do. None of this can be easy for him."

Judy hummed her agreement, but couldn't completely silence the nagging part of her mind that kept telling her that the chief wasn't letting on everything that he could. Not really a whole lot she could do about it even if he was.

' _Not just the chief, either,'_ she noted, her eyes quickly roving over her partner. It had been building, slowly, over the past few weeks. She'd almost missed the signs at first, but they were definitely there to be seen once she started trying to watch out for them. Instead of the casual indifference that he normally carried himself with, an act in itself that she knew to be manufactured, his actions had become even more calculated. Everything he did, it seemed, was a directed effort to cover something up or direct her attention elsewhere to buy him enough time to sweep _whatever_ it was that he was dealing with under the metaphorical rug. This wasn't just Nick's average case of the I-don't-want-to-talk-about-its flaring up, no-she knew what that was like and how to deal with it-this was something different. It had taken some time, but she'd managed to come to peace quite some time ago that Nick had his fair share of secrets hidden away, and in trying her damndest to get to the bottom of who he was underneath it all she had begun to pick up on the various different 'flavors' of secrets, as she liked to call them, that he was comprised of:

Harmless little day-to-day hidings? A bubbly sweet that tickled at your nose.

An action of his past that he wasn't quite proud of anymore? Tart, _just_ on the cusp of sour, but with a tempered, sweet edge as he couldn't help but look back on it all fondly.

Matters of his family? Taking one bite too many of something you had long since stopped tasting. Maybe it used to be sweet, but now left you only nauseous.

This, though? She had to resist the collective pull of a thousand little threads all tugging ceaselessly at her to dive deeper into it and just start pelting him with question after question, but she'd learned often enough in the past that just jumping right in like that would never go the way she wanted it to. Rule number one of interrogations, after all: never go at it directly. People will rarely put up walls anywhere other than directly in front of themselves, so all you need to do is get them to take one step too far to either side, letting them fall into a trap set by their own words. Unfortunately for her, however, this meant doing little more than baiting and waiting when it came to Nick. He had this irritating ability to dance around words in a way that should be illegal, turning your own verbal traps on end to trip you up while he walked away from it all unscathed, and often with something to his benefit gained. He'd made his entire life around avoiding exactly what she wanted to do.

For now, all she could do was be patient. With a little bit of luck, Nick would open up to her.

…

...

...Why did she want him to open up to her? Despite her best efforts on the contrary, she had found herself asking this question much more frequently than she could comfortably ignore anymore.

It was to make them better at their job, she would reason, trying to silence her inner nagging. A full and deep understanding of your partner, after all, would help you to work better together under all sorts of circumstances. ...At least that's what all the buddy-cop movies she'd binged after being accepted to the academy had told her. In actuality, though? Nick and her _already_ worked perfectly together. The smallest cues from one would always be picked up on by the other, and had helped give them an edge on more than one occasion. They could always rely on one another if things got sticky, and never had to worry about whether or not what the other was doing was for the better or not. They were like salt and pepper, whether at the precinct or out and about on a lazily spent day-off. Wholly different, yet complimentary in every regard.

So why in the great blue blazes did she want to know more? The harder she thought about it, the farther away the answer seemed to be. There was a greater than zero chance that continuing to pry would only send Nick into an escape trajectory, ruining the already great thing that they had going on between them. Yet here she was, entertaining the thought yet again. No matter how hard she tried-and she _tried-_ she always came back to it; she didn't just want to work with him, she wanted to _know_ him.

What would even happen if he did open up to her? If, against all odds, he just came out of the blue and told her everything there was to know about the mammal that was Nick Wilde, there was guaranteed to be a few things in there that would be better left unsaid. Nick had strayed prettyfar from perfect over the years before she had gotten to know him. There had to be _something_ in there that had been buried for a reason.

She mentally kicked herself, disgusted at her own accusations. She knew enough about him to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was never… _bad._ By his own admission he'd done a fairly large number of things that he was no longer proud of, but never anything unforgivable. Never anything irreversible. She knew Nick. She didn't know _Nick._

Something that she knew for certain, however, was that dwelling on it wouldn't do her a lick of good right now. She knew it wasn't realistic to expect him to suddenly just come out and tell her everything. They had a long week ahead of them, after all, and she didn't need anything like this getting in the way.

"...Want to go to Eddie's again? I'm sure he'd love to see you," she asked, hoping that a bit of food would put her nerves at ease for at least long enough for them to get checked in to their room. And if that failed, she was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to ask anything she'd regret if she kept her mouth stuffed with salad.

"Let's see, today is…" Nick's eyes looked up and away in thought as he tried to remember the raccoon's schedule. He was having to blow dust off of memories he'd buried a long time ago, while at the same time making sure he blew dust off of _only_ those memories. There were certain things he didn't want to confront just yet that were tucked away awfully close to what he was searching for. "...Sunday?"

Judy nodded.

"Right. So he's either right outside Little Rodentia, or at the park on the waterfront."

Judy's ear's perked up. "Which park?"

"East side, near Sandy Ridge."

Her ears deflated. Sandy Ridge Station was clear on the other side of Zootopia in Sahara Square, and an awkwardly silent train ride while she tried to fight off the urge to pry into him didn't sound all that appealing right now. "Just a bit too out of the way, then," she said, her mind grinding into a different gear and immediately trying to think of alternatives.

"Yeah, not really a gamble I want to take either," Nick said, flipping through the rolodex of food places he kept tucked away in his mind. He flicked his wrist around to check the small silver watch he'd begun wearing since shortly after his academy graduation and did a bit of mental figuring. "We don't really have a whole lot of time to kill before we're supposed to be checking in. We still have to grab all our bags and actually get there, right? So why don't we just hold off for a bit. We can get something fancy there and expense it."

Judy kept pace next to him, trying to quell the rising hunger she felt beginning to gnaw away at her. "I guess that'd work," she replied, deciding that a bit longer wouldn't be an issue. If worst came to worst, she could just raid a vending machine. "Let's keep it reasonable though, yeah?" She quickly amended, noticing the dangerous glint that appeared in her partner's eye. "I don't want to have to explain to the chief why we expensed a 9-course meal."

"We'll just say we did it to blend in, or something," Nick replied quickly, the idea of an unnecessarily extravagant fuck-you hullaballoo of a meal now creeping its way firmly to the forefront of his thoughts and showing no signs of going away peacefully any time soon. They were going on 'vacation' after all, and when else would they have an opportunity like this? A couple of splurges here and there shouldn't hurt, he reasoned. "I'm sure Bogo'd understand. Official police business and all that."

Judy huffed sarcastically, not allowing the fox the privilege of seeing her roll her eyes. "So what do you want to do before we have to check in?"

"Not sure," he replied, stopping as the light at the crosswalk they were at turned red, allowing a handful of cars to putter through the intersection. As soon as the coast was clear, he walked automatically across, the pedestrian light still showing red. Judy opted to quickly look both ways before darting out after him, still not quite used to his more laissez-faire attitude towards pedestrian traffic laws.

"Want to just walk around a bit? Take our time getting our bags?" Nick offered.

Judy shrugged halfheartedly at his suggestion. Anything else would simply take up too much of their time, and the last thing that she wanted was to get wrapped up in something and then have to rush to make check-in at the hotel. "Sure. Your place or mine first?"

"We spent all yesterday at mine, so… yours? We're just picking up our bags, Fluff," Nick said with a smirk as he couldn't help but notice the slightest tinge of red begin to find its way into his partner's ears. ' _Well that's different,'_ he thought, watching the flush of color creep upwards.

Judy's eyes flickered briefly as she tried to set her mind back into something that resembled order. "Right. Just getting our bags," she stated matter-of-factly. She'd _really_ have to reign her thoughts back, and soon, or _neither_ of them would be able to ignore them any longer. She'd place a safe bet on Nick already knowing that she was fighting with herself internally. The damn fox could read her like an open book, and it bothered her to no end that she couldn't hide anything from him no matter how hard she tried.

She didn't know just how correct she was. Nick cast a sideways glance in her direction, picking up on all of the subtle signals she had been unwittingly sending off since they had left Bogo's office as clearly as though they'd been written out in brightly colored marker and handed to him. Luckily for her, however, the current crossfire taking place in his mind made sure that nothing too important made it across clearly. The same internal battles and dissonant reasonings vying for proper control were all mirrored almost exactly within him. "My place is closer to the hotel anyway, so it makes sense to hit there last," he continued, deciding it would be better for the both of them to just continue on like everything was normal for the time being. He needed just a bit longer to stuff all of it back down and lock it up. Why ruin a good thing, he thought, trying to spin in positively.

….

Luckily for them both, whatever unspoken, uncertain tension that had existed between them earlier had begun to clear right around the time that Nick had gone to unlock his apartment door, missed the knob, and ended up violently introducing his nose to it. Despite that, the last couple of hours of last minute preparations they both made, first at Judy's apartment, and then at Nick's, went by without incident, leaving them with nothing left to do now except wait. They found themselves sitting about half a block away from the apartment building on one of the old iron benches that lined the street. Nick had with him a single suitcase,tucked beneath him and out of the way, whereas Judy had that plus a small backpack that she was holding on her lap.

"There we go," Nick said, sliding his phone somewhat awkwardly back into his pocket thanks to the way he was sitting. "The Zuber's on the way and should be here soon."

Judy was tapping away idly at her knees, trying her best to keep the excitement and anxiety over what they were going to be doing for the next week at bay. "Want to go over the plan one more time before it gets here?" She said, deciding that they may as well be productive while they're waiting.

Nick rolled his head over to look at her incredulously. "Afraid I didn't quite get it the last seventeen times we went over it? Your trust in me is a beautiful thing, Fluff."

"No!" She quickly defended, hoping she hadn't come across as insulting. "I mean, just to be sure?"

"Relax," he said with a gentle chuckle. "This is supposed to be a vacation, remember?" He said, slouching deeper into the bench so as to rest his head against the top of the backrest, enjoying the feel of the sun on his fur. Today had been noticeably cooler than the days previous, so a few welcome seconds of the sun's warming rays were more than appreciated.

"A vacation where we _also_ have a task to complete for the ZPD," she said, her voice dropping it's earlier tint of worry as she angled herself towards him on the bench. "Promise me you'll take this seriously?" She wasn't quite to the point of pleading, but she knew perfectly well just how far the fox would be willing to stretch the definition of their assignment if she didn't at least _try_ and reel him in.

Nick removed his sunglasses and hung them off the front of his shirt, squinting as he got used to the light. "I'll promise to take it seriously," he said, "on one condition."

"You and your conditions," she replied with a sideways smile.

"Yes, me and my conditions," he said, matching her smile with one of his own. "I'll promise to take this whole thing seriously, I really will," he said, sitting up, "but only if _you_ promise to not take it _too_ seriously."

One of the rabbit's eyebrows began to creep incredulously upwards. "Not too- This is an important case, Nick. This isn't _just_ a vacation."

The fox held up his hands defensively. "I know, I know, but try to look at this all from a different, less cop-like angle. Bogo trusts us with this, and I understand the gravity of that. Believe me, I do. However." He paused, trying to read the expression that his partner was wearing. "This is an opportunity that we won't get very often, and in more ways than one. You want to hit detective, right?"

Judy stopped and thought, wondering where he was going with this. "Of course. Don't you?"

"I do, which is what I'm getting at here."

She didn't respond, deciding instead to see how he was going to play this out.

"Remember the Polecat case?" He said, watching his partner's ears perk up at the mention of it.

"Ha! The strip club? The entire department remembers that one."

'Polecat's' was the name of a gentleman's club tucked deep and far away into the city's belly, and the ZPD had slowly begun to catch wind of a few… shadier operations that were being conducted behind closed doors at the establishment. When they finally had enough evidence to start casing the place, the pair had been assigned as part of the detail to go in and gather the last bit of information that was needed to take it down. Discreetly, of course.

"Well, let's try and think of this week like we did that."

"How," she began slowly, "in the _world_ is this even remotely related to that disaster?"

" _Because_ it was such a disaster," he said with a laugh. "It started out perfectly, remember? We went in, all cool and calm-"

"-and a half hour later ended up having to wrestle down a half dozen naked mammals as the kingpins tried to crawl out a hatch in the back!"

"Ah, but that first bit!" He defended, trying to keep his point on track while trying to forget how closely acquainted his face got to a few different coyotes'… ugh. He somehow even ended up getting a phone number out of it, which he ended up burning in his kitchen sink, along with his clothes, while he took the single most thorough shower of his existence. Some of the other officers still liked to bring it up every now and then at the precinct.

No amount of scrubbing…

He shook his head, trying to jumble everything back into place. "At first, everything was butter, right?"

Judy shuddered at the word 'butter', which conjured up some rather unpleasant memories of the evening in question.

"...Right, wrong word. Anyway!" He waved his hands out in front of him, trying to somehow shoo the experience away. "Remember _why_ it went so smoothly?"

"...Because we weren't acting like cops?" She offered, hoping that this was what he was trying to get at, if for nothing else than to hopefully wring a straight answer out of him.

Nick snapped his fingers. "Bingo. Remember what Bogo said this morning: we need to be professional, but not _too_ professional."

Judy began to rub her temples. A part of her was beginning to feel as though she understood how the chief felt when he was stuck with Nick for any length of time. "Wasn't it you that said that?"

"Yeah, and Bogo agreed with me, which should tell you just how important it is. I mean, really, how many times has Chief just outright agreed with me? Not a single tacked on change, warning, or 'watch it, Wilde' anywhere."

Judy took a deep breath and slumped back on the bench, pulling her backpack tighter to make sure it didn't fall off of her lap. Nick had a point. "So, a... professional vacation? I guess you're right; acting too gung ho about it would just make us stand out even more."

"So if you promise to relax-"

"And if _you_ promise to take the actual serious part seriously," she said flatly, cutting in with a stern look.

"Which I do," he responded in stride, "so, with any luck, we might just be able to meet somewhere in the middle between professional," he said, offering an expectant look at the rabbit seated across from him.

"...And _too_ professional."

Nick winked at her as she finished his sentence. "Might even have some fun somewhere in between all of that," he finished, somewhat more quietly as he reclined backwards again. The sun had dipped back behind a cloud, robbing him of the warmth he had felt earlier.

Judy's breath caught in her throat. Whether Nick knew it or not, he had just taken what emotional safeguards his partner had set in place and put them into a blender. With that wink, and with all the grace and subtlety of a derailed train, a realization brought with it a peculiar shiver that started at the tips of her toes and snaked ever so slowly up her entire body. She tried to wrestle her mind into believing that it was due to the newfound chill in the air, or the cold metal of the bench that she was sitting on. Deep down, however, and rampaging towards the forefront of her thoughts at an alarming rate, she knew why she wanted him to open. All those looks that she let linger for just a second longer than she had intended, all those accidental times they brushed together sitting in the briefing room or getting into the patrol car, all the gentle words of encouragement, and her genuine, unflinching desire to know _him_ … she now knew.

As a second shiver, gentler this time, reached the tips of her ears, her eyes went wide as she realized the gravity that this realization carried with it, especially given where they were both about to spend the next week.

She took a deep breath, steadying her nerves. No. No, she didn't know. There was nothing _to_ know. Nick was the best friend she'd ever had, bar none, and she could count on him for damn near everything, trusting him with her life on more than one occasion. They were professional partners, and she was perfectly content with that.

' _Professional, but not too professional'_ echoed uneasily in her mind, rocketing around and knocking any semblance of orderly thought completely out of the picture, despite her best efforts.

Rather graciously, there were two quick, polite honks as a purple sedan pulled up and stopped next to the curb. The driver rolled down the passenger side window and confirmed with Nick that they were who he was supposed to be picking up.

"Next stop: paradise," said Nick happily, motioning for his partner to follow him as he made his way towards the trunk to stow his suitcase.

Judy did her best to finish up unceremoniously stomping her newfound conflictions into the deepest, darkest emotional pit she could scrounge up on such short notice and stood up after him. She had to make an awkward grab for her backpack as she all but catapulted it off of her, but was thankfully able to reel it back in before Nick could see. The absolute last thing she wanted right now was to give him even the slightest sense of what was going on, as she couldn't think of a single way that that wouldn't end as an absolute disaster for all parties involved. A slow, gradual build up to what she now felt would have been immeasurably easier to deal with, or maybe just outright ignore. The more she thought on it, though, the more she realized that it was her willfully ignoring everything for so long that allowed her to be taken so completely off guard. Hopefully, she thought, she could ignore it just a little bit longer.

After making sure their luggage was secure, they both piled into the back of the car. Nick got in first and scooted his way across to sit next to the far window. Judy slid in next, doing her absolute damndest to make sure her jitters came across as simple excitement over where they were about to go.

 _It's just a week, Jude. Just one short, not at all long or out of the ordinary week. You can figure out how you want to deal with this once you get home. One short week. One short week._

Nick playfully nudged her once she buckled in. "This is gonna be one heck of a week, eh Carrots?"

Deciding not to trust her voice, she simply smiled and nodded. It was definitely going to be _a_ week, that was for certain. The thought that this was just about the only thing that she knew for certain right now rang uncomfortably within her.

….

The first several minutes of the ride passed by in relative silence as Judy was still trying to wrangle a few errant thoughts back into line, whereas Nick seemed contented staring out the window watching the subtle, gradual changes in the scenery as they began to move deeper into the beating heart of the city's center. Short, squat buildings built in the infancy of the last century became less common as enormous metal and glass behemoths clawed upwards in increasingly numerous numbers as each block they passed drew them closer to their destination.

The fog in Judy's mind began to clear as she started to run down a mental checklist of the day ahead of them. She suddenly remembered the envelope that Bogo had given them earlier that day, and chided herself for almost completely forgetting. Gracious for the distraction, she fished it out of the side pocket on her backpack.

"Almost forgot about this," she said, waving it briefly in front of Nick to draw him out of whatever trance the passing scenery had lulled him into. She slipped her little finger into the open edge at the top and slid it down the top, neatly opening it. Inside, she found a single folded sheet of paper. The same familiar ZBI heading that was on the larger case files they were given earlier was present at the top, though far more subdued in its presentation this time.

"What is it?" Asked Nick, fighting the seat-belt in order to scoot closer.

Judy quickly scanned the page in front of her, "Looks like a list of all the bosses they're expecting to be at the hotel, and a quick rundown on each of them. Maybe a dozen names here," she said, reaching the end of the names and reading further down.

"There's something stuck to the back," said Nick, reaching across and unsticking a small object from the page. "A… credit card?"

Judy glanced at the card in Nick's hand as he turned it over, inspecting it, before turning her attention back to the page in front of her. She stopped when she reached a small paragraph near the bottom. "Yeah, look," she said, pointing to one line in particular.

"I'm a fox, not a hawk, Fluff. Gonna have to read it off," he replied, still fighting, and losing against, his seat-belt.

"'Attached to the reverse are two cards linked to the Special Operations Fund', and then it has SOF written next to it in parenthesis, 'that has been allotted to this investigation'," she read off before looking over at the card her partner was still holding. "Wait, two cards?"

Nick reached over and took the empty envelope off of Judy's lap. "Ah, here it is," he said, plucking another identical card from inside. "Must have fallen off."

Judy nodded in acknowledgement before turning her attention back to her reading. "'This fund is variable, and has been predetermined to fit the specific financial requirements of each individual operation'," she continued. "Current allocated funds are listed on reverse," she said in conclusion. She turned the page over to find a number printed in a spot that had been hidden by one of the cards. She stared at it for a moment before blinking each of her eyes individually, just to make sure she was seeing right. "Well that's… Generous," she said, passing the page to Nick, who traded her one of the cards for it.

Nick let out a low, slow whistle when he read the number. "No kidding. This place is pretty ritzy," he said. "I guess they decided to err a bit on the safe side when it came to 'fitting in'." He lifted himself slightly from his seat and pulled out his wallet, slipping the card into it. "Is that all it says?" He asked, looking the paper over top to bottom to make sure that they'd read everything. "Little light on the info, don't you think?"

"I guess Chief Bogo wasn't kidding when he said we'd have to 'adapt'.

Nick nodded. "Look lively," he said, suddenly recognizing the neighborhood they were travelling through. "We're getting close."

Every bit of nerves that the pair had been able to suppress for the past few days began to bubble back to the surface as the hotel reared it's head over the streets of the city's winding core.

To call Shambhala a mere hotel was to truly do it a disservice. It was an enormous testament to the extravagant expenses that some were willing to go to in order to escape the humdrum happenings of the every day, and this philosophy was represented boldly in every aspect of its design. The resort was built as a gargantuan, hollow circle whose interior contained a lush central garden that gave even some of the most elaborate nature conservatories in the city a run for their money. Divided into four sections, each 'wing' of the structure mirrored one of the districts of the city; from the frigid clime of Tundratown, to the scorching sands of Sahara Square, the soul of each district was captured perfectly and then bathed in the type of luxury and over-indulgence that most mammals could only dream of.

Their car wound its way along the oval road that made its way towards the main entrance, and stopped beneath the large overhang that marked the drop off area. Framed on both sides by massive, rough hewn stone pillars that had carved into them various motifs and scenes that represented the melting pot of all animals and ways of life that the city represented as a shining beacon to the rest of the world, the grand gilded doors were a powerful sight to behold. The car pulled off towards the side nearest the main door and puttered to a gentle stop, absolutely dwarfed on all sides by the building.

The pair exited the car and retrieved their luggage from the back before thanking their driver. They politely waved away a valet driver that approached them, explaining that they were being dropped off. As their car pulled away behind them, they couldn't find it in themselves to do much more than stare in awe at everything that stood before them.

"Gonna be a week to remember, eh Carrots?" Nick said, still looking ahead.

Judy nodded once, "Definitely. Let's hope for the right reasons, though."

"C'mon," he said, nudging her with his elbow. "Reservations are under our names, right? Let's get this train sailin'."

….

As was to be expected, the main lobby was every bit as extravagant as the walls that surrounded it. A large, round reception desk stood prominently at the center of the room, with the surrounding area around it dotted with seating and tables of various sizes to fit the vast array of mammals that were walking about on their own business. On the far wall of the foyer, several round glass elevators lazily drifted from floor to floor, shuffling their numerous occupants to the various engagements that the hotel was putting on at any given time. The pair of newly-undercover officers made their way towards the reception desk, with the lush carpeting that blanketed the entire lobby floor threatening to swallow them whole with every step they took. Judy couldn't help but allow her eyes to rove cautiously over the dozens of mammals that were milling about, wondering if any of them were part of the reason they were there.

"20 bucks says someone already knows we're here," Nick said out of the corner of his mouth, his thinking following more or less the same path that Judy's was.

Judy ever-so-slightly nodded her acknowledgement, knowing that Nick would find a way to pick up on the subtle action. She gave it an hour, maybe two tops, before they were the talk of every family here.

They arrived at one of the mid-height sections of the desk, and were greeted warmly by a female snow leopard. Her fur, ashen-white spotted sporadically with patches of black, was immaculately combed. She wore a jet-black blazer which had a highly polished, yet politely small silver nameplate affixed to the left-hand lapel.

"Welcome to Shambhala!" She said, bowing briefly to them both in turn. An exotic accent, smooth as silk, was draped elegantly, yet unobtrusively, overtop her words. "Should you both have reservations?"

"Yes ma'am," replied Judy. "They should be under Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps."

The leopardess typed gingerly away for a few moments at a computer that was tucked out of view. "Ah, yes," she said, her eyes lighting up as she found their listing. "Room 713, in the Rainforest Wing. If you could just sign here to verify," she said, presenting the rabbit with a small tablet.

Judy took the device and the small stylus that came along with it, ready to get settled in their room so they could get to work. Unfortunately for her, however, Nick had encountered a sudden burst of inspiration. Not wanting to let an opportunity like this go to waste, he chose this moment to clear his throat, politely drawing the attention of the receptionist. "Excuse me," he began, "but would you have any suites available, by any chance?"

Judy paused halfway through her signature. She looked up at him questioningly. "...Suite?"

Nick held up a single finger, his eyes screaming 'trust me' as loudly as they possibly could. "Yes, a suite," he said again, his focus never leaving the receptionist. "Sorry if it's a bit short notice."

"It's no trouble at all," she replied politely. After a quick few moments of typing, the receptionist turned her attention back to the pair. "As it would happen, we do," she answered, her voice not once wavering from perfect propriety. "There are currently three available for immediate residency, with two becoming available on the ground floor in an hour's time should you be willing to wait."

"Do any of them overlook the courtyard?"

The leopardess nodded. "The Shangri-La suite, yes. It is on the top floor of the Rainforest Wing and has simply the most _wonderful_ view of the central arboretum," she said. For a fleeting moment, a feeling of genuine enthusiasm had wormed its way into her speech. Her expression wavered slightly before she began again. "I am afraid that it would come with an additional surcharge, however. Your current reservations, while covered in their entirety, would not quite cover the extra expense."

Nick pulled out the card that he had received on the ride over and presented it to her, while Judy's expression shifted from cautious curiosity into thinly-veiled horror as she realized what he was up to.

"We'll take the Shangri-La," Nick continued coolly, potentially dangerously choosing to ignore how his partner's fist was beginning to curl.

"Of course," replied the leopardess, running the card while seemingly oblivious to Judy's change in demeanor. Nick chalked it up to simple professionalism on her part. "If you could complete your signature, Ms. Hopps, I can finalize the change in reservation," she said, gesturing to the tablet.

Judy, for reasons that currently escaped her, decided to hold her tongue. She finished the final half of her signature, gripping the stylus so tightly that Nick was genuinely worried that it might shoot off into the unknown.

As soon as she gave the tablet back, the pair were handed two matte black with no defining marks on them whatsoever. The objects had a certain amount of heft to them, and were much more solid than you would expect the small credit-card sized key to be at first glance. Upon closer inspection, Nick noticed that the number '999' was printed on one side, still in black, but glossy enough to be made out fairly clearly.

"These are your room keys," the receptionist said. "The Shangri-la suite comes with a number of perks attached to it that may be accessed through the use of these cards throughout the resort and its grounds. There will be a pamphlet in your room that provides further detail." She made one final keystroke on her keyboard, finalizing their change in plans. "Your room is now waiting for you both," she said with a pleasant smile, bowing to them both once more. "If you should desire, you may leave your luggage here. It will be waiting for you in your room at your arrival."

With a polite 'thank you' from them both, the pair left their bags alongside the reception desk and began the journey towards their home for the next week. Taking a quick glance over his shoulder, Nick saw their bags get loaded onto a trolley by a bellhop and quickly shuttled away behind a door with an 'employees only' placard on it. He was tempted to sprint off towards their room for no other reason than to see if he could beat their bags their, but decided that running through a hotel lobby full of crime-bosses was probably not the brightest idea he'd ever had. Just as he was about to reconsider it, though, he felt a small hand firmly grab him by the wrist and start guiding him towards the far bank of elevators he'd noticed earlier.

Judy, much to her credit, had kept her mouth shut ever since he'd taken it upon himself to upgrade their room. She kept her hand locked around his wrist as she navigated through the crowded lobby, fox in tow, towards the elevators. She tapped the call button just a bit harder than was probably necessary, and began tapping her foot impatiently as the elevators didn't instantaneously appear before her.

Knowing that he was probably going to get an earful once they were alone in the elevator, Nick decided that a proactive approach would be best suited towards saving his tail this time. "I know what you're gonna say, but I wa-"

"Ack!" Judy interrupted, not breaking her sight from the highly burnished doors in front of her. There was an unobtrusive _ding_ as the elevator reached the lower level, and the doors retracted gracefully into the walls, allowing them into the lift.

Nick began to worry as he felt some of the circulation begin to leave his hand as Judy's grip increased in pressure. She pulled him, her arm stiff, into the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor before anyone else had a chance to get on, leaving them alone. No sooner than the elevator doors had slid back into their closed position, she broke her silence.

"What were you THINKING?!" She demanded, trying her hardest to keep her voice at a volume below what could be heard on the other side of the doors. With the mish-mash of emotions rampaging within her now finding anger added to their midst, this was no small task. "Less than five minutes in the door and you do something that's going to make the chief go BALLISTIC when he finds out!"

"Now Carrots, I've actually got a pretty good reason for this one," he began, his hands placed reflexively in front of him to guard against the very angry bunny he found himself trapped with.

Judy pinched the bridge of her nose, her brow furrowing deeply. "Y'know what? Sure."

The fox raised an eyebrow. "Sure?"

"Yeah, sure," she said, perking up with a barely camouflaged murderous glint in her eyes. "Let's hear your reason."

"...Alright," he started carefully, choosing his words meticulously. "As soon as we got this assignment, I started doing some research on this place. A _lot_ of research. I figured we'd probably end up getting stuck in one of the cheaper rooms, which is exactly what happened. What was it, room seven-something? Half that floor is completely windowless, and is just about as far away from anything 'interesting' in this place as you can get. I was honestly planning on asking to be moved rooms and comping it myself, if it came to it. The cards we were given just opened up a… different possibility that I couldn't in good conscience let go to waste. I'm honestly surprised the suite we got was open. Figured one of the big-shots we're here to spy on would have snapped it up." He accented his last sentence by snapping one of his hands closed. "That suite puts us somewhere where we can see everything that's going on outside, and is as centrally located as you can get on this big donut of a building." Nick hesitated at his conclusion, the dangerous look that his partner was giving him fading much less quickly than he would have hoped for.

Judy was completely at a loss for words, an act that was occurring with irritating regularity lately. "So you spent almost a third of your allowance for a," she paused, struggling as she found her vocabulary unequipped to handle the fox, " _tactical_ upgrade?"

"Yup," he replied simply, his body relaxing some of the tension that it had been holding when he saw her begin to do the same. "It's in a better location, I'm sure we can use the 'perks' to our advantage somehow, AND it's all around more luxurious. Everybody wins!"

Judy sighed deeply. "I find myself almost agreeing with you, and it worries me," she said flatly as the elevator came to a gentle stop. "Let's hurry up and get to our room before you find some other 'opportunity'."

They both stepped off of the elevator and onto the landing. The floor was a highly polished, deep blue marble, which stretched elegantly before them before disappearing into the baseboards of the comparatively simple tan walls. Each step they took echoed warmly as they made their way towards the end of the hall, where their room was sure to be waiting for them.

"Is this the right one?" Judy asked as they approached the final door of the hallway. "The door looks just like all the others."

Nick double checked the number on the door with the one that could be made out on the card. He shifted it back and forth in the light to make sure he was seeing the full number, the way that it was printed not agreeing with his eyes in the friendliest of manners. "The numbers match," he said, stepping up next to her.

With one final glance between them, Nick slid the card into the reader on the door, leaving it still for a second before quickly withdrawing it. A small green light blinking into view on the side of the mechanism was the only reward his action received. He gently gripped the handle of the door, pleased to find that it turned freely beneath his hand, and pushed it inward.

"Oh my..." Judy said quietly through her fingers, her hands having risen to cover her mouth as she took her first tentative steps into their room. The door lead into what was the main living area of the suite; expansive and high-ceilinged, the room seemed to breath of its own accord as she walked slowly towards the center. A modern couch, upholstered in pure white and large enough to accommodate a dozen or more of her brothers and sisters, occupied only a fraction of the leftern most wall, with illustriously polished black cabinets and dressers, contrasting deeply with the furniture, populating the free spaces around it. A medium-sized black fridge stood at the far end of the wall, next to a modestly sized desk with a matching chair tucked neatly beneath it. An impressive selection of what had to be incredibly expensive spirits and liquors rested on a silver tray on top of the fridge, with a small assortment of glassware in varying shapes and styles hanging from a rack fastened to its side. A TV that wouldn't even _fit_ in her own apartment was the focus of the wall opposite the couch, with burnished aluminum speaker towers placed on either side of it. A rectangular glass coffee table separated the two walls, with a small brochure placed on top of it, held in place by the TV's remote.

Most impressive of all, however, was not what occupied the far rear wall, but the wall itself. Instead of offering only a small window, or perhaps an entry onto a balcony, the entire wall was made of a single pane of glass, with not a single support beam or seam to be seen anywhere on the awe-inspiring display. The massive window, twenty feet from wall to wall, held within its frame a panoramic view of the courtyard, spanning hundreds of yards in every direction, carpeted in the lush greens and innumerable colors of the perfectly manicured gardens, towering trees, and sweeping fields that called it home, bordered on all sides by the high walls of the hotel and the dotted lights of the rooms that they held within them. The entire room was deliberately built and decorated to frame the vista, forcing your eyes towards it. Even bathed in the harsh light of the afternoon, it was the type of breathtaking that most mammals wouldn't believe was any more than simple fairytale. It looked like it had been ripped straight off of the cover of a swanky architectural magazine, and was nothing like the images that the name 'Shambhala' had conjured up in her mind. Instead of dense forests and snow-capped mountains, she was met with elegant simplicity, though the feeling of 'paradise' was still very cleanly captured.

A muted " _holy shit"_ escaped Nick's lips before he could do anything to reign it back as he walked in behind his partner. He had been in a number of 'high-class' homes before in his previous line of work, but those were more often than not decorated in the pompous, garish stylings of the previous century's elite. Unable to find anything to say, he walked deeper into the room to continue exploring. "...Huh," Nick voiced, his wonder cut momentarily short as he peeked into the bedroom. "That could be a problem."

"What could be a problem?" Judy called, now looking out the massive window and seeing what all she could spot from their vantage point.

"For as much as this room costs, you think they could have afforded two beds."

Judy's ears fell flat against her back as she processed his words. She walked over to look with him and saw that a single king-sized bed commanded the lion's share of the single bedroom, with two dressers and a vanity against one of the walls that matched the stylings of the furniture in the main room.

Judy buried her face into her palm. "We didn't even think to ask if it was a double," she said flatly, frustrated at the oversight. "So… what's the plan?"

Nick held up a finger before she could say anything else, and turned to walk back towards the large couch behind them. He levered off one of the center cushions and looked underneath, letting out a sharp 'ha!' as a handle, recessed into the base, greeted him.

"Crisis averted! There's a pull-out bed in the couch," he called out, replacing the cushion before spinning on a heel and flopping down onto it. The material gave way to comfort and swaddle him in a way that was completely at odds with the boxy, sculpted appearance of the couch, not that he was complaining one bit. "You can have the actual bed. I'llthink I'll manage just fine in here, what with the hundred inch TV and couch that costs more than my first car and all," he said, allowing the cushions to swallow him even deeper.

Judy rolled her eyes as she left the fox to his own devices. Deciding to be at least a _little_ bit more proactive, she returned to explore the bedroom in deeper detail. Tucked around out of sight on the opposite side of the bed were their bags, waiting for them just as the receptionist said they would be. "Well, that's a little creepy," she muttered quietly, surprised at how quickly they were able to get them up here. She pulled her suitcase up onto the bed and unzipped it, starting to dig through what all she had brought. She tucked her clothes and other various belongings out of the way into the dresser, and then pulled out the rigid-body case that held her pistol and set it on the nightstand. She picked up her backpack, her laptop held within it, and went back into the main room to look for somewhere to set it up. Nick was still reclined on the couch reading through the pamphlet that had been resting on the coffee table. "Your bag is in the bedroom if you need to unpack anything right now," she said as she passed him, to which he nodded his acknowledgement. She walked over to the desk and pulled the chair out from underneath it. She dipped momentarily beneath it to plug in her laptop's charger, and then settled herself in the chair. "Do you care if I set up my laptop over here? I don't want to keep you up or anything," she said, suddenly wondering if setting up in his 'bedroom' was ok or not.

"Shouldn't bother me," Nick replied. "I'm a pretty heavy sleeper, so when you inevitably decide to burn the midnight oil I'm sure I'll manage," he said, leaving his seat on the couch to grab his bag from the room his partner had claimed.

"Alright…" She said quietly, opening her laptop and pulling up a number of files related to their case. "Let's get started."

Nick returned and set his own laptop on the glass coffee table, pulling up his copies of their various case-files and notes given to them by the ZBI.

"So we probably drew a lot of attention just walking in the front doors, didn't we?" Judy asked, beginning to sift through the pages of notes she had to get a better idea of where she wanted to start.

"No doubt," Nick answered. "There were probably a dozen pairs of bad-guy eyes on us by the time we reached the receptionist. Word travels fast with these people; they're probably trying to talk about how to deal with us right now."

"And that's where the 'peacetime' thing bites us a bit," she said, finding the file she was looking for. "These groups will actually be willing to talk to each other, which makes this dangerous." Her brow knit together as she read through the list of organizations that were expected to be present for the week, a list she now knew to be incomplete thanks to the dossier they had opened on the ride over. Her and Nick, two of the most well-recognized and, in Judy's case, publicly loved, officers currently in the employ of the ZPD just so happening to be at the same hotel as every crime syndicate in the city was going to ruffle some fur. Luckily, she'd come up with a plan to handle it. A plan that Nick had absolutely zero qualms with once he'd heard it.

"So the plan hasn't changed, then?" He asked, a somewhat hopeful tone creeping into his words.

"Try not to sound so excited about it, slick," Judy smirked as Nick pumped his arms. "Plan hasn't changed. We lay low for a couple of days, let them decide we're not a threat, and _then_ start digging. Intel says the bulk of the meetings should be held on Thursday and Friday, which gives us plenty of time to start blending in around here. If we're lucky, we'll be invisible by then."

Nick put his hands behind his head and reclined back into the couch. "So what do you want to do first to start 'blending in'? No sense staying cooped up here all week."

Judy made a quick gesture towards the pamphlet on the coffee table. "Is that the thing that tells us everything our cards let us do?"

"Yeah," Nick replied, ninja-starring the brochure towards her. "It looks like all the suites get a card like ours, so we might be able to play 'innocent' if we happen to rub shoulders with any of the mob guys. May help them start to think we really are just here for a vacation and not to, y'know, ruin their week."

Judy plucked the missile from the air and opened it up, reading down the list of perks that their suite came with. "Wow, some of this sounds pretty nice."

"It says we get free-play at the arcade here, so we are DEFINITELY going to that. Can't wait to school you at some air hockey."

She narrowed her eyes at him playfully, a look that let him know that his challenge had been accepted. With every bullet-pointed item she read through on the list, the deeper the absurdity of their situation sank in. A case where goofing off and having fun was absolutely critical for it to be completed.. She almost couldn't believe it. She looked back across to her partner and found the same smug grin that she had become intimately familiar with over the course of their friendship painted across his muzzle, but she could tell that right behind that cool, guarded demeanor was an immense amount of childlike joy that was approaching dangerous levels of pressure. There would come a time during the week where she would have to switch back into 'cop-mode', as Nick liked to call it, but right now acting too much like a police officer was the exact opposite of what the mission called for. She flopped back into her chair, a pleasant hum escaping her lips as she slowly came to terms with what exactly was expected from them. Her actions drew a curious look from her partner, his ears cocking and an eyebrow raising. "We actually got a assigned a professional vacation," she said, the last word trailing off into silence.

"Professional…" Nick prompted with a roll of his paws.

"But not _too_ professional," she replied with a smile, not missing a beat.


	6. Table for Two

_**Author's Note:**_ _Today is my birthday, so have a present from me! This chapter was a huge departure from anything I've ever written before, so I hope I did it the justice it deserves. Things are going to start picking up soon, so buckle up!_

Chapter 6 - Table for Two

Getting more or less properly settled into what was to be their accommodations for the next week took them the better part of an hour. Between unpacking, setting up their workstations, and the dozen or so more little tasks that all went into making oneself comfortable in a new place, the choice of what to do next had been a fairly simple one to make. Having not eaten for most of the day, the pair decided on checking out one of the numerous restaurants that the hotel had to offer, settling on the one nearest to their room as being as good a first choice among them as any.

Amongst all of the hectic hustle and bustle of the past few days, and especially the past few hours, there was a single aspect that had remained frustratingly unchanged. Judy scanned over the menu as attentively as she could, no small feat considering her train of thought was in ever-present danger of derailing and careening off into the terrifying realm of who-knows-where. She'd done a decent enough job of keeping her thoughts where she thought they should be, namely, focused on the mission, but now that the mission had moved solidly into 'just relax' territory she was having a bit more trouble keeping everything in check. She idly swirled a glass of wine around in her hand, hoping it would dull her enough to let her _actually_ relax instead of focusing so hard on relaxing that she felt like she was going to pop. The alcohol, along with the desired relaxation that it was granting, brought with it another side-effect: while her thoughts were no longer in as dire a threat of rocketing off into the trees, they had started to sway ever so slightly in a few different uncomfortable directions. A sway which, no matter how hard she _thought_ she wanted to fight it, kept swinging back around to the fox sitting across from her at the small table currently browsing a menu of his own. If his thoughts were anywhere near the tangled mess that her own were, he was doing a _much_ better job of hiding it.

She watched her reflection in her glass as she shook her head at the absurdity of the direction of her thoughts. Why on earth would he be thinking like she was? She had no reason to believe that he was dealing with anything even remotely like what was roiling incessantly away inside her. Then again, from what little about his past that he'd let on, she'd gathered that he'd had a lot of practice keeping everything bottled up and neatly walled away. ' _Never let them see that they get to you,'_ as he'd put it to her a few times. It was a skill that she was very deeply envious of right now, granted to him by a past that he was very comfortable allowing to stay buried. A past that she still knew so very little about.

The snap of fingers drew her violently out her her thoughts, the glass of wine almost tumbling out of her hand as she snapped back into focus.

"I said, are you alright, Carrots?" Nick asked, an amused smile on his face that threatened to dip into genuine concern as he looked at his partner. He'd folded his menu down in front of him, having made up his mind some time ago while he watched Judy's eyes begin to glaze over as she stared unblinkingly at her own menu, her head occasionally jerking to one side.

Judy coughed nervously into her hand, an act that was complicated by the glass of wine. "Sorry, yeah," she said somewhat unsteadily. "Just got lost in thought there for a little bit."

"I could tell," Nick smiled. "I've never seen someone stare at a picture of chili for that long before."

She couldn't help but laugh at the remark, wishing she was close enough to hit him. "So what are you going to get?" she asked, taking another sip of her wine.

"There's a grilled salmon calling my name," he replied, opening the menu back up and spinning it around on the tabletop to show her. While she could admit that the picture the menu presented was certainly pretty, all done up with a dusting of herbs and the type of immaculately posed garnishes that you would expect from a restaurant in a high-end hotel, the idea of the dish itself repulsed her. She knew Nick was a predator, and that being a predator came with certain dietary needs tacked onto it, but that didn't stop it from setting off all sorts of different alarm bells in her head any time she thought about it. Despite the thousands of years of evolutionary progress, the idea of a mammal eating something that used to be alive still didn't sit well with her. It wasn't out of any moral protest, but instead a byproduct of a time many thousands of years ago where she herself would have been on the menu. She knew that it was a ridiculous thing to get hung up on, but the feeling was still there all the same. She did her best to laugh it off whenever the situation called for it, and had even begun to make small strides in coming to accept it for what it was, but she was still a good ways away from being completely desensitized to it. Growing up in the Burrows, she'd had very little exposure to the 'other half', as her family called them. While there were certainly predators in her hometown, the ratio was skewed rather extremely towards the prey side. It was just another one of those things that growing up in a small town had imbued into her, and she was doing her best to get over it, thanks in large part to the fox across from her who had begun to normalize it.

"Gross," she joked, sticking her tongue out playfully at his choice.

"One of these days I'll get you to try it," Nick said, spinning his menu back around to face him.

"Nuh-uh, food with faces is where I draw the line," she said, a familiar queasy feeling rumbling around in her gut. "You remember what happened with the cricket, and I do NOT want a repeat of that."

Nick chuckled quietly to himself, but decided to change the subject back around in her favor once he saw she had begun to blanche. "So have you decided yet?"

Grateful to the fox for the distraction, she opened her menu back up and quickly scanned over it, realizing she didn't remember a single one of the choices it had. "Ooh, these look pretty good," she said, singling out a selection of stuffed bell peppers after making double sure that they were vegetarian. One of the definite downfalls of a restaurant friendly to both predators and prey was that occasionally they would leave out a complete description of the dish, assuming that whoever was doing the ordering was familiar enough with it to know whether or not it contained anything that might be upsetting. On more than one occasion after deciding to be a tad bit more adventurous with her food, she'd found her plate arriving to her with an unwanted surprise tucked somewhere within it. It had only happened a handful of times, and even fewer times still when Nick was also with her, but he'd never let her hear the end of it. "Definitely a bit more my taste," she said. "I can't even imagine what could _possibly_ be good about that fish," she said, unable to keep her thoughts completely away from it.

"And you never will, Fluff. It just feels…" he paused, his eyes drifting as he tried to wrangle in how it felt when he allowed himself a foray into his more biologically-driven desires. "It just feels _right,_ " he said, deciding that there was no better way to put it.

Judy's eyes narrowed in thought as she reached back for her glass. " _Right_?" She asked. "How so?"

Nick took a sip of his own drink, having chosen a beer that smelled like several handfuls of fresh-cut grass had been dunked into it and left to sit for a few days. He let the flavor roll over his tongue for a moment, buying him slightly more time to order his thoughts. "It feels… You know how that first sip of water tastes after a workout? Like how it feels like your entire body was entirely dedicated to only craving water for a little while? It's pretty close to that. There's always this little voice in the back of your head whispering that you should just go order a burger, or something. You could have just had the biggest salad in the world, bursting at the seams, but that little voice would still be there."

Judy could only try and imagine what it must be like, having nothing to truly compare it to. His water analogy was pretty good, but the look in his eyes told her that the two feelings were still an immense distance away from being comparable.

"I try not to eat it around you a lot," he continued. "I know how it bugs you." He took another long draught of his beer, smacking his lips contentedly. "But hey, vacation, right? Gotta let loose a little." He reclined in his seat, lifting the front legs of the chair off the ground as if it emphasize his point. "I'm still having a hard time believing all of this is real," he said, this time much quieter. "I guess it still hasn't sunk in yet."

A young tapir chose that moment to approach their table, greeting them warmly to draw the pair's attention. "Have you two made your selections?" She asked, laying a small bundle of silverware in front of both of them.

Nick allowed all four legs of his chair to touch back down as he placed his order. A hungry glint began to appear in his eye as he listed off what he had chosen, which drew a small smirk from Judy. The fact that something as simple as a plate of salmon could bring him as much joy as it was apparently going to amused her to no end. It seemed like no matter what the fox was doing, from waiting in line at the DMV to ordering a meal at a restaurant, he would find some way to squeeze as much genuine enjoyment out of it as possible. It was one of many on a long list of things that all added up to make him distinctly Nick.

Concluding his order, the waitress turned her attention to the smaller of the pair, catching the rabbit off guard as she'd found herself drifting back into her thoughts again. Silently chastising herself, she placed her order and went back to paying some much needed attention to her wine. That dangerous little thing known as curiosity had begun to rear its head once again, and she wondered whether or not it was worth it to fight it this time. Nick had said she was allowed to ask him whatever she wanted, but even with his permission to dig a little deeper she still didn't want to overstep her bounds. They were partners, after all, and being partners meant that they should respect each others feelings and bounds. If he'd asked her to ask as many questions as she wanted to, however, was doing the opposite and holding them all in disrespecting his wishes all the same? She took another long drink of her wine, deciding it would be the wisest of all available choices to not dump more fuel onto the disaster that was her own line of thought. There were so many different things that made Nick, well, _Nick,_ and she found herself wanting to get to the bottom of it all. Most of what she found herself wanting to ask was, in her opinion, far too personal to just come out of the blue and start berating him with questions about. Tired of feeling like her mind was about as organized as the Tri-County Flea Market after that tornado hit a few years back, she decided to just ask something without letting herself overthink it and, inevitably, chicken out.

"Hey Nick?" She asked, her own mind flabbergasted as it watched her mouth move of its own accord, powerless to stop it.

"What's on your mind, Carrots?" He replied, his curiosity most certainly piqued after the way she had been acting all day. He knew something had been bothering the little bunny all day, but had decided to keep it to himself from very early on. The past few days had put her under a lot of stress, so he decided to take it upon himself to lessen her burden as much as he could by pretending that he didn't notice how she had begun to act a little… off. Admittedly, the last few weeks for himself hadn't exactly been the smoothest of sailing within his mind. A certain element of his past, the most dangerous of the many emotions he'd tried to bury away the deepest amongst all the others, had begun to claw itself unceremoniously from the depths of his emotional safeguards. He'd spent a long time throwing as many locks as possible onto that particular door, not wanting to get burned by it again, but even the greatest of his efforts recently hadn't seemed like enough. It wasn't often that he found himself unsure of how to approach a situation, which made his current uncertainty all the more unsettling. Truth be told, the only reason he hadn't bugged the bunny about her strange behavior was because he was too busy wrestling with his own, so it was no small amount of relief he felt when she looked like she was going to address some of _whatever_ it was first. ' _You always were one to take the lead,'_ he thought.

"What's it like to be a fox?" She asked after a moment's hesitation. Deciding not to delve too deeply into his personal life, and not wanting to come off as crass by asking the wrong questions in the wrong order, she felt this was a safe enough avenue of approach. With a little luck, asking just this one question may get a few of her others answered as well.

Whatever he'd been thinking she was going to say, that most certainly was not it. He had to admit, though, the surprise did wonders to knock himself back into the present. "What?" He responded in infinite elegance, his mind going uncharacteristically blank.

Judy took a deep breath. "You're a predator, right?"

Nick let out a small laugh at that, a bit of his normal self beginning to bubble back to the surface. He was quiet for a moment, appearing deep in thought. "Last time I checked, yeah," he said with a completely serious tone, drawing an amused ' _pfft'_ from his partner.

"Well, what's it like?" She continued, leaning forwards and resting her elbows on the table. "Where I grew up, it was bunnies upon bunnies upon bunnies, so I'm just… curious. I mean I guess there was Gideon, but I don't think he counts."

One of Nick's eyebrows crept upwards at this. "Who's Gideon, and why doesn't he count?"

"Old bully of mine, long story," she said, idly pawing at her cheek. It had been many years, but the faintest hints of the three parallel scars could still be felt beneath her fingers. Nick picked up on the small action, but decided to let it lay for the time being. Judy was the one asking questions right now, and he didn't want to throw her off, if for nothing else than to sate his own curiosity about how she'd been acting. "He's a fox that works with my parents now, using some of their produce in his bakery. He's a bit… soft," she said after a short pause, "so I don't think he's a good baseline for what a fox is?"

"And what makes you think I am?" Nick asked with an amused smile, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. He knew exactly where she was headed, he just wanted to make her say it.

"Well, you were…" She held her hands out and rocked them back and forth nervously, now not quite confident in where she was taking the conversation. "...Sneaky?"

Nick let out a single bark of laughter at the word, which attracted a small number of curious looks from the other patrons of the restaurant. "So I'm a good measure of all foxes because I was a sneaky, no-good, con-mammal?"

A panicked look flashed across Judy's. "No! Nick, that's not what I-"

"Carrots, relax," he said with a small smile. His expression didn't contain a single hint towards being anything but genuine, which didn't do as much to soothe her panicking mind as it should have. If anything, it worried her even more. "You're a lot closer to being right than wrong with that one," he continued. "You said you grew up with tons of bunnies? I grew up in a fox-heavy burg of an already predator centric neighborhood, and I don't think I'd run out of fingers counting how many I would go so far as to call 'honest'." The briefest glimmer of sorrow flashed across his smile, but was quickly hidden away as he continued. "A lot of them tried to live an honest life, I guess, but there was always…" He let out a small sigh. "There was always _something_ that they had to have their hand in. Some get-rich-quick scheme, or maybe dealing with some shady merchandise to make a quick buck on the side. Honestly, I can't say I blame any of them," he added quickly.

A brief look of confusion filled the face of the bunny across from him at his final statement, and he quickly moved to clarify it. "Mammals are pretty good about hiding their dislike for foxes these days, but it was a lot more common, and a _lot_ more open back then to show just how much you hated them. In case you were ever thinking about it, I would _highly_ recommend against being a fox in the 90's. Y'know, if the opportunity ever presents itself."

"Why did everybody hate foxes?" She asked, a look of indignation tempered with a healthy amount of sorrow over what he must have gone through growing up.

"Truthfully? I don't think i'm qualified to answer that." He took another sip of his beer, letting out a contented sigh as he set the now empty glass down. "I mean I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason for it all out there somewhere… Surely everyone didn't just wake up one day and decide, collectively, that they were going to start hating me for something I didn't have a lick of control over."

He sighed again, deeper this time. He was _really_ starting to wish he had more beer. "...That's not right either, though… I did have control over it. I didn't get to pick what I was," he said, making a vague sweeping gesture towards himself, "but I did get pick _what_ I was. At some point, whether I realised it or not, I'd made choice. It wasn't the world that said I was going to be what I was. No, that was entirely me, but for the longest time I tried to blame it on everything and everyone except myself. The world didn't make me a shifty, untrustworthy _fox,_ " he said, the last word laced with years of pent up frustration and self-wrought hatred. "I made myself into one."

"The world just didn't give you a chance, Nick," she said quietly, her words tinged with compassion. "You're a good mammal, and it _is_ everybody else's fault for not seeing that."

"But I wasn't a good mammal. Not back then. And what's worse? I _enjoyed_ it. Quick-thinking fast-talking conning, smuggling things across city lines, the deal with Eddie, the stint with Big, and way, _way_ too many more to list right now… Hell, I was homeless half the time, me and Finn living out of the back of his van, and I had more fun in those few years than I'd ever had before."

"Do you miss it?" She asked quietly, her eyes shimmering with uncertainty. The way he spoke of it all, it sounded like he was only one bad day away from dropping everything and diving right back into it.

"If I said no, I'd be lying," he said slowly, fully aware of the implication. His eyes drifted focusless as, just like that, he remembered it all: the good times, the bad, and everything in between that he used to be.

She knew that was going to be the answer, but it did absolutely nothing to lessen the blow that it had struck her. She went to speak, but found the words she intended to say missing. She found it ultimately unnecessary, however, as Nick continued.

His smile deepened as he recalled. "There was this one time," he started, a regrettable amount of fondness working its way into his voice, "where Finn and I were grilling hotdogs and having a few beers out of the back of the van, parked somewhere on the edge of Savanna Central for the night. It was maybe 2 in the morning and I remember just laughing and staring up at the sky," he paused, his eyes getting lost in the distance once more. "That was the night I decided that maybe life wasn't too bad after all, and that, y'know what, if that was how the rest of my life was going to go I was perfectly ok with it." His expression took a turn for the somber as his eyes drifted slowly back down, finally coming to rest as they met hers. "That night was when I thought I'd figured it all out." He took a deep breath and tapped the surface of the table twice, "But this… This tells me that I couldn't have been more wrong."

A simple "What?" was all she could manage.

"And not just this," he said, gesturing around them to where they were, "but _everything_ about what I do... _Everything_ about what I am now... I wouldn't trade it away for anything. It took me almost twenty years, but I'm finally someone I think my mom and dad would be proud of." His eyes fell away from hers as he looked sheepishly at the table. There was a few moment's silence between the pair before Nick, very quietly, spoke up. "...Thank you, Judy."

She cocked her head to one side. "Thank me?" She said uncertainly, her eyes fighting to find a way towards those of the fox, who still had his pointed at his empty glass. "For what?"

Nick took another deep breath, looking up slightly. "If it weren't for you I'd still be out there conning mammals out of their honest living, and enjoying every second of it. With what you've helped me become, knowing that I was so close to spending the rest of my life like that terrifies me." His eyes glued themselves back firmly to the table. "I, uh, realized I'd never said it before. So… Thank you."

If it weren't for all of the blood rushing to her ears, Judy would have thought her heart had stopped beating. Never, in all the time that she had known him, had he pulled the curtain back as far as he just had. She'd often dreamt about finally getting him to open up, and liked to think that she'd have the perfect response all planned out and ready to say. She'd have just the right words of support or gentle encouragement to let him know that everything was going to be ok, and that she was grateful for finally letting her in. Now that it actually came down to it, she found herself hopelessly lost. Everything that she had wanted to say was pushed out of her mind by his final few words, and she found herself unable to do anything except stare, her eyes locked unblinkingly with his. Vulnerable emerald met equally unsure violet. It was a simple act but, unbeknownst to her, it was all she needed to do.

She felt a connection deepen, as fine and fragile as silk, the longer their gaze held together. Nick, for the first time, had laid a portion of his soul out in the open, fully exposed. His eyes, normally cock-sure and full of fire, shimmered in a way she had never seen. They reflected a vulnerability she had never known him to show, but had always expected to be hiding somewhere within him. His honesty and absolute unflinching trust in her to not take what he had said and twist it to hurt him kindled within her a feeling that threatened to overtake her completely. Finally, and with little fanfare, the threads broke as they both looked away.

The silence that had descended between them was carefully broken as Nick coughed nervously into his hand. "Sorry about that, Fluff," he said, his voice showing the faintest hint of a tremor. "Little bit heavy for dinner conversation," he said, trying to find his emotional footing.

"No, its…" Judy said quietly. The fire within her that she had tried so hard to douse had roared back to life, terrifyingly bright and stronger than she had ever known. "That was… Oh, look!" She said quickly, drumming her hands excitedly on the table as she saw their food approaching. Immensely grateful for the distraction, she once again found herself scrambling to stuff her emotions back into their rightful boxes. This time, however, and perhaps somewhat foolishly, she left them open. Where she had once placed locks, there were now open invitations to mill about her mind freely.

"Oh thank God," Nick said, his hand clutching briefly at his heart. "I mean, yeah! Sweet!"

Their waitress, the same tapir from earlier, approached them with a bemused look as she noted the relieved looks coming from the pair as they tried to look anywhere but at each other. She had been waitressing at this hotel for a number of years, and had 'been around the block a few times', as it were, when it came to recognizing what her guests were going through. A smile threatened to tug at the corner of her lips as she set their plates before them, responding politely when they thanked her. As quickly as she could, she made her way back to the kitchen to discuss her new findings with the rest of the staff.

Oblivious to it all, Nick was trying his hardest to fall back into his normal self. "Sure you don't want a bite?" He asked playfully, holding up a small forkful of his fish, thick steam drifting lazily about it.

"Ugh, hard pass," she replied, sticking out her tongue. "That's all you, Slick."

The fox laughed lightly and took to his meal, mirrored by his partner as she began to tuck in as well. After a particularly large mouthful of fish, their waitress approached again and asked if they would like a refill on their drinks. Nick went to answer, but almost choked as he tried to work his words around his food. Judy, giggling at his antics, answered 'yes' for the both of them to save him any further embarrassment. He finally managed to swallow, and took a large gulp of air afterwards, as though he'd been suffocating.

"Always a charmer, aren't you?" She teased, taking a much more measured bite of her own.

Nick swiped at the corners of his mouth with his napkin. "It's like they do it on purpose, I swear," he said. "The waitress might as well be on Saturn, but as soon as you take a big bite… BAM! They just, appear."

"Oh, like you'd be any different if you were a waiter," she joked.

"You got me there," he admitted with a smile.

Their waitress returned with another beer and glass of wine for the pair, setting both of the full vessels carefully onto the table. What surprised them both, however, was the full bottle of wine and extra glass she placed between them.

Judy looked up at her, puzzled. "Oh, sorry, we didn't order a bottle for the table," she said, hoping she wasn't causing too much of an inconvenience for the waitress by sending it back.

"This is compliments of the restaurant," she said with a pleasant smile, glowing inside at the dumbfounded expressions of the two. "Might help with the 'first date' jitters," she said in a loud stage whisper, directed mainly at the bunny. "If you two need anything else, I'll be around!" She said politely before retreating back to the kitchen, leaving a very confused fox and rabbit in her wake.

Nick's eyes flashed between the bottle, to Judy, and back. Realizing he must have accidentally misplaced his vocabulary, his eyes stretched enormously wide as realization continued to dawn. _'First date Jitters..?'_

Judy, to her credit, was handling the situation about as well as he was, namely, not well at all. "They think we're on a date?" She asked incredulously, the gravity of her own words taking a moment to fully parse. "Is this a date?" She said, her tone slightly more frantic as her eyes continued to widen. Were they on a date? No. No, that was ridiculous. They were just having dinner, that's all.

A dinner.

In a dimly lit, luxury restaurant.

Sharing a bottle of wine.

All while she asked him about what made him… _Him._

To which he heartfeltly answered by sharing that which he'd never shared before.

"This is a date," she said flatly, her ears falling just as flat as her expression. The realization struck her with all the grace of a plane crash, and her train of thought, which had been dangerously close to derailing for quite some time now, careened off into the stratosphere taking every last bit of coherent thought along for the ride.

"Uh…" Nick said, leveraging the full expanse of his own personal lexicon.

Her face fell into her hands, her ears flopping over to further hide herself. "Oh God, this is a date, isn't it." It wasn't said in question, but instead in a defeated statement.

Nick, still not trusting his words, took the open bottle into his hands and poured himself a glass. Experience had told him when words wouldn't do him any more good in a situation, and this was _definitely_ one of those times. Playing it safe, he pushed his partner's glass closer to her, which she took with a quiet 'thank you' after taking her head out of her hands.

Enough time in silence between the pair passed to allow them both to refill their glasses. The soft 'tink' of their silverware was the only sound between them as they both wordlessly picked at their plates.

"...Is this a date?" Nick posed, carefully watching the rabbit across from him. Her fork, halfway to her plate, stopped dead.

Judy picked up her glass and took a measured sip, an action which Nick mimicked.

There was a beat of silence.

Her pensive expression finally cracked as she started laughing. A defense mechanism of sorts, it was nothing more than a soft chuckling at first, but quickly broke into a full-on belly laugh as she struggled to stay upright in her chair.

Nick followed suit, unable to resist laughing along with her as the tension between the pair, which had been threatening to overflow, finally broke.

"Ha! A date," Nick somehow managed to say, swiping tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes

"Like THAT'd ever work," she lied with a smile, her own laughter subsiding into the occasional giggle. She finished off her glass and set it on top of her now empty plate.

"Right, absolutely no way," he lied right back. "I mean, could you imagine? Us? HA!"

Neither of them believed a single letter of their own words, but found it much less messy to take each other's at face value. Nick cleared his throat once his own laughter finally died down. "So, back to the room?" He asked, hooking a thumb over his shoulder."

Judy let out a sigh of relief. Relief at _what_ , exactly, she refused to examine more closely. "Oh, absolutely. I'm exhausted," she said, knowing full well that it was only approaching 6 o'clock.

The fox signalled the waitress back to their table and paid their bill, making a concentrated effort to ignore the conspicuous absence of the bottle of wine on the ticket. The tapir wished them a good rest of their evening with a genuine smile, having taken the laughter she had heard coming from their table a short while earlier as a good sign.

….

The elevator ride back to their floor passed in relative silence, neither of them wanting to accidentally acknowledge what had just occurred. It seemed so, _so_ much easier to just ignore it all and continue on like nothing had happened. They were partners assigned on an official ZBI-cum-ZPD assignment at Shambhala, and should be treating it with the level of tact and professionalism that it deserved. What had just transpired between them was most certainly not _professional_ in even the most liberal interpretations of the word, and they both wordlessly agreed that it probably shouldn't be brought up again for the duration of their stay.

The sound of their room door closing behind them echoed about them hollowly as they both stepped inside. Judy excused herself to the bedroom, citing a reason that Nick couldn't quite make out. It was probably a good one, he decided, starting the process of converting the large couch into the pullout bed that he would be using. He stacked the cushions in a neat pile next to his luggage, and then turned to unfold the metal frame and contained mattress from its confines. Pleased to discover that it fit neatly overtop the coffee table without having to move it, he pulled it out to its full length and then flopped, face down, into it. The mattress was, despite being a pullout, incredibly soft. Not all that surprising given where they were, he reasoned, but it was definitely a welcome discovery.

' _Is this a date?'_

His words from earlier echoed in his head as he lay there, the weight of the day crashing down around him. He wanted to ignore it, he truly did, but found himself unable to.

The muted sound of a shower starting caused his ears to perk. He needed one himself, but doubted he would be able to summon the energy required. ' _Oh well, it can wait until morning,'_ he thought, rolling onto his back. He dropped his hand off the edge of the bed and hunted around for the TV remote, which he found after a few moments of aimless flailing. Turning it on, he scrolled blankly through the seemingly endless list of channels.

Did he want it to be a date?

The question dangled just at the edge of rational thought, but was still present enough to make it a struggle to try and think of anything else. Did he want it to be a date? He honestly didn't have an answer. A frighteningly large portion of him certainly wouldn't be against the idea, he conceded. It was here that his past began to slink its dirty head back out from the shadows… He'd been burned before, and he'd worked tirelessly to lock away everything from the resulting fallout all those years ago behind the thickest doors he could build in the deepest, darkest places in his heart. All those years of effort, and this bunny undid all of it with little more than a look.

He let out a small snort at the thought. What gave her the right to just waltz in and wreck everything he'd worked so hard to hide? How _dare_ she so easily step in and tear down his walls? Every pitfall, every barrier, and every painted-over facet that wound its way towards his heart had been sidestepped like she never even realized they were there. He'd been torn from the safety of his barricades by a _bunny,_ of all the damned things.

Everything that he had been trying to heal had been ripped to shreds right before his very eyes. His blissfully uncomplicated existence that he'd managed to scrape himself into had been turned completely upside down. Worst of all, though, he'd started to hope. He'd learned a long time ago that very few things were as dangerous as hope. _I hope I can eat tomorrow. I hope it doesn't rain. I hope those guys don't find me._ Hope had done nothing for him except pick him up and drop him on his face, and yet here he was, _hoping_.

He eventually found an old adventure movie in the TV listings and tuned in, desperate for any sort of distraction. He toyed with the idea of ordering a drink through room service, but quickly abandoned that avenue of thought, figuring he'd had enough for the night as it was. Any more and the last remaining grasp he had on his mind would be at risk of slipping away, and he _really_ didn't want to have to deal with that right now.

The sound of the shower cut off after a while, followed by a polite knock on the bedroom door a few short minutes later. Judy peaked her head out after allowing what she thought was the appropriate amount of time after her knock. She hadn't wanted to just barge through in case he'd been in the middle of dressing down for bed. "Hey," she called, drawing his attention. "The, uh… The shower's free if you want to take one."

"Thanks, but I'm just gonna wait until tomorrow morning," he replied, turning his head towards her. Only her head was visible from around the door frame, but he saw the corner of a white towel flittering closer to the floor.

Their eyes met, and for what seemed like hours both of them refused to look away. The same spider-silk like strands from earlier threatened to take hold once again.

Nick finally summoned the courage to break the silence, very carefully trying to keep whatever was between them intact. "Do… You want to talk about it?" He asked, knowing full when that she would understand what he meant.

She did. More than anything she did. "...Tomorrow?" She suggested sheepishly. Being much smaller than Nick, the glasses of wine she'd drank had begun to run their course. While she was still a comfortable distance away from being drunk, she didn't fully trust herself to say everything she needed to, or to _not_ say what didn't need to be.

The fox nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer. "G'night, Carrots."

"Night, Slick," she replied with an anxious smile. The bedroom door latched quietly behind her as she ducked out of sight.

Nick turned his attention back to the TV, the movie no longer registering in the slightest any more.

There it was again. _Hope._


	7. This

_**Author's Note:**_ _God dammit I wish I could pick a writing style and stick with it._

Chapter 7 - This

Judy had always been an early riser. Getting up before even the sun had been a part of her morning routine for far longer than her work had required it, and she didn't hold the same disdainful feelings towards being up so early that most mammals seemed to harbor. She had decided against setting an alarm, instead allowing her own natural rhythm to wake her; she was on 'vacation', after all. Her eyes fluttered open as she pulled the overstuffed comforter tighter around herself, the room having become much colder than she was used to during the course of the night. Carefully poking an arm out from beneath the safe confines of the blankets, she pulled her phone off of the nightstand and quickly tucked it in close to her, trying to keep as much warmth as she could from escaping. A time of 5:54 greeted her when the screen blinked to life beneath her finger, which, while later than her usual waking time, was still certainly a far cry away from what most mammals would call a 'reasonable hour' to begin the day.

Judy was not most mammals, however. Steeling herself for the inevitable blast of cold air that she knew would be waiting for her, she pushed the blanket off of herself and swung her legs to rest off the side of the large bed. Wearing nothing more than a thin nightshirt and a pair of breezy sleep-shorts, the cold almost made her turn tail and retreat back beneath the covers. As much as she wanted to, she knew that she'd have to start her day eventually, and so decided to tough it out and finish getting completely out of bed, her feet meeting the slick wooden floor as she dropped down.

Drawing her arms tightly about her, she stretched out her back with a few deeply satisfying pops to shake the last bits of sleep from her body before turning her attention to getting ready for the day. She briefly thought about taking another shower to try and force some warmth into her bones, but decided against it. Dealing with a freezing cold hotel room was enough as it was, so dealing with a freezing cold hotel room while also _damp_ was definitely not on the list of things she wanted to do today. Deciding on a simple pair of jeans and an earthtone button-up, she pulled the items from their respective drawers and laid them out on the edge of the bed. She swiped an arm across them to try and chase away any wrinkles that being packed away had given them, but found it to be a losing battle as a few stubborn ones remained. Oh well, a barely wrinkled shirt wouldn't be the end of the world, and it'd probably straighten out as the day went on anyway.

A shiver worked its way through her body as the cold began to penetrate deeper beneath her meager sleep clothes. Deciding that it was time to do something about it, she gently pulled open the door to the bedroom and peeked her head through.

Nick was about as far away from being a morning-mammal as possible, and was, quite unsurprisingly, still asleep. Getting used to the early mornings that being a police officer entailed had definitely come with a few growing pains for the poor fox, but he'd eventually been able to power through and become almost used to it. _Almost_. Any weekends or days off that he found himself with he made sure to take full advantage of, falling back into the same 'wake up when he wakes up' routine that he'd fallen in love with over the course of his life. He'd somehow managed to kick all of his blankets off to one side while he was sleeping, and was now curled up with his arms and legs drawn closely to his body with his tail wrapped loosely around him, the cold not appearing to bother him in the slightest.

' _Stupid thick fox fur,'_ she grumbled internally, convinced that she'd have been able to see her breath if she'd said it out loud. She slowly padded over to the thermostat, careful to make as little noise as possible. She had half a mind to stomp as loudly as she could across the room as payback for turning their room into Little Tundratown, but found the desire quickly fading away as she continued to look on. Nick had slept in only a faded pair of boxer shorts, allowing her an unfiltered view of almost every inch of him. His thick, russet fur stuck up at odd angles in places, whereas others remained smoothly groomed. Thick bags had formed beneath his eyes, dividing his fur into uneven lines that spoke of restless sleep. That, compounded with the discarded blanket, was evidence to her that he'd spent most of the night tossing and turning. It was a thought that brought with it a momentary pang in the depths of her heart. Yesterday had been pretty far from normal _,_ but the combined exhaustion of settling in to the hotel and their shared…

Ahem, anyway. Yesterday had left her so drained that she'd been out like a light before her head had hit the pillow. She'd slept like a bunny-shaped rock, which she now found herself feeling almost guilty about as she saw how poorly her partner had fared. Even in the short time she'd been in the room, his breathing had flip flopped between deep, measured breaths and the shorter, faster uptakes of air caused by whatever dream had taken him. The base of his tail would twitch, followed by a flick of his ears as the corner of his mouth would threaten to pull down into an expression that she found herself unable to place. Most painfully to her of all, however, were the subtle whines and whimpers he'd been making. Yesterday, he'd shown her a side of vulnerability that he'd held within him for the better part of two decades, but she couldn't help but feel like she was intruding on something deeply personal by continuing to watch him sleep like this. To see him so completely defenseless was almost unsettling; the carefully measured way he presented himself to the world wasn't just lessened, but completely thrown by the wayside as he lay there.

Her guilt over watching him won over as she finally dropped her eyes away, turning her attention back to the thermostat. She flipped the small switch from 'cool' to 'hold' and placed it at a temperature more conducive to sustaining life before heading towards the coffee maker that sat on the desk where she had set up her workstation. She snagged a bottle of water from the top of the fridge and emptied it into the reservoir before dumping one of the packets of coffee she'd found lying next to it into the basket. She flipped the single switch on the side of the machine to turn it on and start it brewing, but was met with absolutely nothing in return to reward her efforts. She flicked the switch back and forth a few times after making sure that, yes, it was indeed plugged in, but was still met with zero action. ' _Well, I guess the first thing I'm doing this morning is going to get coffee,'_ she said, letting out a muted huff of annoyance after trying the switch once more for good measure. While she didn't have the same apparent biological need for coffee to function that Nick did, starting her day with a cup or two was one of her favorite things; it gave her a short window of opportunity to get her thoughts into order before heading in to face whatever it was that the day had in store for her, and she cherished the peace that it provided her. She patted the top of the machine a couple of times like you would the head of a spoiled child before quietly making her way back to the bedroom to finish getting dressed.

Finding her clothes just as she'd left them, she danced into the pair of jeans and slipped into her shirt before running a hand over them in one last attempt to straighten out the few wrinkled patches. She'd have to see if there was an ironing board tucked somewhere in the room, but decided it could wait until she got back. She didn't want to go causing any unnecessary noise while her partner was still asleep just beyond the thin bedroom door. Taking a quick look at herself in the floor length mirror to the right of the dressers, she deemed herself acceptably put together enough to start tackling the day.

Back in the living room, she padded carefully around the edge of the bed, grateful that there was plenty of space between its end and the wall for her to not have to squeeze awkwardly past it. Somehow, though, her foot still managed to find a way into one of its supports. A sharp pain struck her as she kicked it, and she cringed at the noise that it made as her foot rebounded off of it. She froze in place as Nick stirred in his sleep. His whimpers subsided as he rolled over onto his back, being replaced with a few incoherent mumbles before he quieted down. Thankfully, he didn't wake. She gently shook out her foot to try and rid it of the painful ringing sensation, and then continued towards the door, taking extra care now to look where she was stepping in the dimly lit room. She took one final look at the sleeping form of her partner before allowing the door to latch quietly behind her.

After a short walk, she found herself waiting in front of the bank of elevators that let off on their floor. Stepping up to the closest one in the row, she tapped the 'call' button and was greeted a short while later by a polite _ping_ as the lift reached her. The doors retracted lazily into the walls, and she stepped in, tapping the button for the ground floor before turning around and leaning against the railing, looking out over the empty lobby from her new vantage point behind the curved glass.

Being as early in the morning as it was, the large skylight that was responsible for the lion's share of the light the lobby received for most of the day was dark, leaving the foyer to be lit by only a handful of recessed lights along the walls. It lended a hazy, almost frozen-in-time look to the empty room; it had been bright and bustling only a few short hours ago, but now it looked like even the building itself had yet to wake.

' _Might help with the first-date jitters'_

She frowned. Ah, there it was. She sighed deeply as she leaned further into the railing, her forearms now flat across it. She knew her mind had been oddly quiet since she had woken, but hadn't dared question the reasoning behind it. Might as well get the inevitable catastrophe out of the way early, she supposed.

Even despite her little outburst once the realization of what their dinner looked like had struck her, she wouldn't have had much trouble stuffing it all back under the emotional rug if that had been the end of it. Somewhat unexpectedly, though, Nick had turned everything upside down with only a few simple words of his own…

' _Is this a date?'_

So... was it? And, perhaps more importantly, did she want it to be? She had a better chance of suddenly becoming the world's foremost mammal on the intricacies of thermodynamic physics than she did of answering that question with what should have been a simple yes or no. She'd done such a good job of setting up her own defenses and walls that she'd managed to keep even her own conscious thoughts out of the loop. Nick, without even realizing it, had torn them all down without a second glance. It had sent her emotional roulette wheel spinning at a million miles an hour, flitting from one feeling to the next as it spun relentlessly through every possible way she could feel about it. Since waking, the spinning had begun to slow and was now threatening to land on 'angry', of all the possible things. She was mad at how close they'd both come to ruining everything that they had worked so hard to become. They had become the best of partners, and even better friends, during the time that they'd known each other, and their dinner last night threatened to ruin all of that. Every single bit of work and time that had been invested into what they were and what they meant to each other had become dangerously close to being tossed to the wayside, and it worried her.

It wasn't an anger that was directed solely at Nick, however. Her thoughts went back to the sleeping figure of her partner she'd left to toss and turn up in their room. She'd never seen him that way before, and wanted so badly to go over and wake him, saving him from whatever was hurting him in his dream. She wanted to sit by him and tell him that everything was ok, offering a comforting presence as he fell back into what would hopefully be a more restful slumber, but couldn't summon the courage to do so. She'd built her entire life around trying to help others in their times of need, so why hadn't she helped him? A simple _'shh, it's ok'_ would have been more than enough, but instead she'd just left him to fend for himself. They were partners. She was supposed to be there for him whenever he needed her, and what had she done? She'd tip-toed around him and left without a word for… what reason, exactly? To save herself the trouble of having to confront him so soon after yesterday? The thought disgusted her as it registered, and yet she could do nothing about it now. She'd made her choice, and it filled the pit of her stomach with the sour weight of guilt.

Another gentle _ping_ alerted her to the elevator reaching the ground floor. She'd have to find some way to make it up to him when she got back to their room, if for nothing else than to give her conscience a little bit of a break from the whipping she was giving it.

She was the only one in the lobby as she made her way across it and towards the central receptionist desk. She returned the receptionists smile as they made eye contact as she approached. Instead of the snow leopard they had spoken with earlier, it was a tigress this time that greeted her, dressed in the same professional fashion as the mammal she had replaced. "Good morning," the tigress began, bowing a slight greeting to the diminutive bunny. "How may I help you?" Her voice was just as heavily accented as the previous leopardess', and it lent her words the same graceful flourish. Judy couldn't help but wonder if all the employees of the resort were just as 'exotic' as the building itself.

"Ah, yes," the rabbit began. "Sorry to bother you, but the coffee maker in my room is broken, and I figured I should let you know about it."

The tigress' face adopted a look of genuine apology as she regarded the guest in front of her. "We are deeply sorry about that," she said, only briefly looking away to type something into her terminal. "We can have a replacement sent up immediately if it would please you," she offered.

Judy waved her hands in front of her, declining. "Oh, no, that's ok," she said. "My… partner is still asleep, and I'd hate to bother him with that." She hesitated to use the word 'partner', wondering if it was appropriate given the circumstances. Trying to be sneaky about their relationship would probably only make them more suspicious, she figured.

The receptionist nodded with an understanding look. "Of course," she said. "Is there a time that would work best for you so that we may replace it without incident?"

"Would around noon work? We'd probably both be out and about by then," she offered after a quick moment's thought, which the receptionist agreed to. She typed away at a few more lines in her computer before confirming that they would have a new coffee-maker delivered to their room at noon. With a polite 'thank you' Judy made her way off to complete the second part of her coffee-oriented plan: getting a cup. Without the faintest clue about how the lobby and surrounding areas were laid out, she decided the safest course of action would be to follow her nose, which, at this time of morning, proved an incredibly easy task. After a short ways walk down the eastern side of the lobby, she ran into a small cafe tucked neatly into the wall. There was a single glass door that lead into it, next to an open patio area sectioned off from the main lobby with ornately twisted wrought iron.

A bell hanging from the door tinkled brightly as she walked inside, her head swiveling to take a cursory look around. It reminded her of some of the 'trendier' shops that lined the pathways of the city, with the warm browns and golds that made up the bulk of the decor doing wonders to make her feel at ease in the small interior. The deeply complex smells of all the different types of beans commingling as they sat waiting for the morning rush to come were all the right kinds of overpowering as she approached the counter. Extending another polite greeting to the lone barista, she decided to play it simple and order two large cups of the house blend. One for her, and one to take back up to her partner, as he was sure to take learning about the broken coffee-maker harder than she had.

She took a seat against the railing while she waited for her order to be filled, her eyes floating out across the lobby as her mind wandered idly from place to place. There was a calm stillness that permeated the air that stood in stark contrast to when they had arrived; the lobby had been brimming with dozens of mammals yesterday afternoon and absolutely buzzing with activity, yet they were now nowhere to be seen. She rest her chin in her hands as a small yawn worked its way out of her. She wondered if Nick was awake yet, but pushed the question away with a small snort of laughter. If Nick had his way, he'd have no trouble sleeping until noon, and he'd probably still manage to find a way to complain about it. Her mind turned back to all the times they'd gone to get coffee before work, him dragging his heels almost every single time. ' _Foxes are supposed to be nocturnal,'_ he'd often grumble, but he never failed to perk right up as soon as he'd had a cup. It was as dramatic as flipping an on/off switch sometimes; he'd go from being questionably conscious right into his amicable, cocky self in a matter of minutes. With how he seemed to have fared during the night, one cup might not be enough to cut it today. The thought brought with it a frown as the first of the thoughts she'd been trying to keep by the wayside managed to creep their way in. What had even happened yesterday? They were having a wonderful time together at dinner- laughing, drinking, and simply enjoying each other's shared company like they'd done so many times before. So what in the blueberry _fuck_ had made yesterday so different? Were they both really so blind as to miss what it really was, or maybe she'd just overreacted, throwing a gloomy shade over the entire evening.

' _Is this a date?'_

...It had sounded almost hopeful. The way it slipped ever so carefully from his muzzle tore at every fiber of her rational thought. Being partners for as long as they had been, she'd learned that Nick never said anything without a purpose behind it; There was no such thing as idle conversation for the fox, and the implications that it lent his question terrified her. He wasn't looking for an answer, he was looking for a _reaction._ This brought with it another question, though: what, exactly, was he to see?

Her face fell forwards into her hands with a muted groan. Ever since the Zuber ride they'd shared yesterday, coherent and easily managed thought had turned into somewhat of a luxury for the bunny, and it was nobody's fault but her own. The fact that she was as distressed about the dinner as she was brought her a fair amount of grief on its own. Why was she even worried about it? The chance that they'd ever be anything other than friends was so close to zero that it meant absolutely nothing. There were so many things that didn't have a snowball's chance in hell of working out between the pair that even giving a 'what-if' thought to the scenario seemed like a grievous waste of time, yet here she was. Why why _why_ was she giving this so much thought? They were partners, they were friends, and _that was it._ She was perfectly content with who they were, and spending every future day being nothing more didn't bring with it a sense of dread or thoughts of missed opportunities. Until yesterday, that was.

The shrill ringof a concierge bell announced that her drinks were ready, ripping her gracelessly from her thoughts. The barista acknowledged her thanks with a smiling nod as she took both steaming cups into her hands and headed towards the exit. She spun around and used her backside to push open the door, slipping through it before it had a chance to close back on her. She took a sip of her still far too hot coffee, it's dark flavors having to work to cut through the scalding sensation that filled her mouth.

' _Is this a date_?'

There was absolutely no way that they were on a date. It was another shared dinner, just as they'd done many times before, whose conclusion had been wrapped up in a misunderstanding exacerbated by the meddling of a stranger who had no right interfering. There, that _had_ to be it, she thought with some sense of finality.

The elevator dinged as she stepped on board.

Y'know, except for the fact that spending dinner several times a week with your best friend would be seen by most mammals as, well, dates.

If she hadn't been holding their drinks, her head would have once again found its way into her palms. There was no way she could have been so oblivious towards it all; she'd been to countless dinners with him, movies, casual after-work strolls through the park, but she'd never done a single one of those under the pretenses of it being a 'date'. He was her partner, he was her friend, he was a _fox_ for crying out loud! How on earth would that even work? They were never going to be 'anything', they were only going to be what they were.

The trip back up to the room seemed to have passed much quicker than it had taken to get to the lobby. She transferred both coffees into one arm and dug around awkwardly in her back pocket for the key before slipping it into the reader. As she stepped inside, her eyes took a moment to adjust to the darkness, but eventually came to find Nick exactly as she'd left him. He'd managed to roll back onto his side, with the covers now completely tossed off the bed and now resting in a messy heap on the floor. She made her way silently back to the desk and set the drinks down. She debated leaving him to sleep, but figured that when he did wake he wouldn't appreciate being greeted with a cold cup of coffee to start his day. A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she took the lid off of one of the cups and held it down in front of him. She blew gently across the top of it, letting the heavenly smelling steam wreath around him. It only took a moment for his eyes to flutter open, his nose twitching away with his unfocused gaze searching for whatever had woken him.

"Morning," said Judy softly, putting the lid back on his cup. Nick sat up in bed and stretched his arms out above him.

"Morning," he answered back before pointing vaguely in the direction of one of the cups. "That for me?" he asked, barely getting the words out before a massive yawn washed over him.

"Yeah. The machine was broken so I went and got some from the lobby. ...Bad dream?"

"Something like that," he answered, his eyes still closed. "Have I ever told you you're perfect?" He asked blearily, his feet swinging over the side of the bed to meet the floor. He rubbed his eyes before stroking his hands over the fur on the top of his head, flattening a few errant strands.

Judy scoffed at that with a smile, her thoughts threatening once again to go to dangerous places. "Once or twice," she said quietly, passing him his cup, which he took gratefully. He blew across the small opening on the top before taking a cautionary sip, letting himself become accustomed to the warmth.

"Wh'time is it?" He asked, taking another sip, longer this time. Judy went to answer, but he held up a hand to stop her at the last second. "Nevermind, don't want to know. Whenever it is, it's too early. You know we're supposed to be on vacation, right?"

She couldn't help but smile as she looked at him. There he was, nature's perfect predator, and he was barely able to keep his eyes open as he nursed a cup of coffee. His fur had only managed to dishevel itself even more during her short absence, and stuck out at every which angle from his bare torso. A modicum of concern wormed its way into her glances as she took him all in. "Did you sleep ok?"

"I've spent better nights behind a dumpster," he answered, his ears laying flat against his skull. His honesty shocked her; she'd expected him to play everything off like he alway had, and hadn't prepared a response for a truthful answer.

"Ah, that's… I'm sorry," she said, her gaze falling awkwardly to the ground.

"Sorry? Why are you sorry, Fluff?" Truth be told, he knew exactly why she had said it, but he wasn't sure he wanted to deal with it this early in the morning. His own thoughts were still caught in the treacherous miasma between sleep and the waking world, and there was no telling what he might accidentally say before he could get everything straightened out.

Judy took a deep breath, her fingers drumming nervously on the sides of her cup. "I… overreacted last night. To what the waitress said. But when I was going to get these," she said, shaking her coffee back and forth gently in her hand, "I couldn't help but… think."

Nick knew where this was going. He was going to need a lot more than just the one cup that he had right now. "...Think about how she might have been right?" The words were past his lips before he had a chance to stop himself. He kicked himself internally over it, wondering where in the world it had come from. He shouldn't have had any issue playing this whole thing off as just 'another one of those things', but no matter which avenue he tried to slip down, it was always there to meet him.

She sighed bruskly, shaking her head. "I don't know _what_ to think," she said defeatedly. "Is this too early to talk about this?" She asked quickly, suddenly self conscious of how she might be coming across assaulting him with this so soon after he'd woken up.

Nick simply waved it away. "No, it's fine. If I take enough time to think about it I don't know if I'll ever want to."

"So," she began, her voice wavering slightly, "do you want to talk about it?"

"I don't," he said after a short pause, which did nothing to help her heart from feeling like it was about to beat its way out of her chest and start strangling her. "I absolutely do not," he said again, each word spoken with a deliberate emphasis. He let an exasperated breath escape from his lips before taking another sip of his coffee. "I, uh, think that means we really need to, though," he finished, his hand pawing nervously at the back of his neck. His voice trailed off and left them once again at the mercy of an uncomfortable silence. "Was it a date?" He finally asked. A part of Judy would have preferred dealing with hours of loaded silence over having him ask that.

"Did… Did you want it to be?"

"Hey now, I asked you first," he said with a gentle smile. His joking tone did a poor job of covering up the uncertainty of his own mind.

Judy's expression went from cautious to pained as she wrestled within herself. "I don't know if I'm allowed to say 'yes'," she finally said, just above a whisper. The effort it had taken had drained her of what little energy the coffee had begun to grant her. Every hair on her body felt as though it weighed a thousand pounds, and every little motion she made threatened to drag her to the floor. It had become increasingly difficult to navigate the line between what they were and what they wanted to be. She had been so certain about their relationship only a few short days ago, but it may as well have been eons. "I mean, look at us," she said with a slow, exasperated flourish of her hands. "How could this work?"

Nick's eyes darted away to the safety of one of the room's corners as he began to chew on his bottom lip. "Right, you're right," his voice dropping to the same quiet tone that she had used. "...But, why couldn't it?"

She'd had a big list of reasons all prepared, neatly bullet-pointed and organized in order of increasing absurdity. It was the sole thought present in her mind that made any semblance of sense. She was ready to let him know just _why_ they wouldn't work, and had been preparing herself to do so all morning. The second her eyes met with his, though, it all faded away. Just like that, she was left with nothing to defend herself with- nothing between her own bare heart and his.

The underlying emotions behind Nick's eyes were always carefully hidden away. If the eyes were the windows to the soul, he always kept his tightly shuttered and closed. It was through no fault of his own that he was so careful; he had been torn to pieces again and again and again each and every time he allowed even the faintest of lights to slip through the cracks, but right now, and only for her, the light that had lain dormant for so long began to flicker hesitantly back to life. She'd seen many things reflected in those endlessly deep oceans of emerald, but for the first time in many years they showed nothing but fear. Nick was _scared,_ and if he was trying to hide it he was doing so hoping against everything dear to him that it would still somehow be discovered.

She'd seen it. Whether he'd meant for her to or had only hoped- she'd seen it, and it wrecked her. The silence between them stretched on beyond any barrier of acceptability as they both sat there, both hardly daring to blink lest the moment be broken. Neither of them knew what to do next, and remained frozen in place as the seconds stretched on. Their normally steadfast bond as partners had been reduced to its basest of elements. They were both the precipice on which the other stood, teetering on the brink of uncertainty, their fear of taking that final step forwards into the abyss outweighed only by the fear of what would happen if they turned around.

"What are we?" Nick asked, his voice tiptoeing carefully around whatever was filling the space between them.

Judy's eyes never broke from his as she gently shook her head. "I don't know," she offered quietly. "I mean..." she sighed deeply, her eye contact wavering for the briefest of moments before steadying. "I know what we… _are,_ " she continued, her emphasis on the last word stemming from a place of reluctant realization. "We're partners," she started, trying to ignore the creeping doubt that was finding it's way into the fox's eyes. "We're… You're the best friend I've ever had, and it's not even close," she continued, an anxious smile tugging at her lips. Her eyes finally broke from his, causing his ears to fall flat, threatening to take the rest of him with them. "That's always been more than enough for me."

Hope was a very dangerous thing, Nick knew that better than most mammals, yet what limited capacity for functionality that remained in his mind struggled to remember a single point over the course of his entire life where he'd ever hoped for something more than he was this. He was hoping in a way that he said he never would again, and her words were doing nothing but telling him that he'd made a mistake. It was the kind of mistake that, the last time he'd made it, he very nearly was unable to crawl out of the hole that it had thrown him into. It was the kind of mistake that would change a mammal. The kind of mistake that you couldn't go back to.

"But…" Judy continued, forcing her eyes back up to meet his once more. "I... don't know how much longer it'll be enough." She had to throw her entire emotional weight behind each and every word to give it enough strength to clear the bridge between thinking and saying. So much of her was _screaming_ to cut it right now and start playing damage control, but she couldn't. For whatever reason, she found herself incapable of ignoring the pounding of her heart that she could feel in her ears. She was incapable of ignoring the way her leg had started to tremble beneath her hand. She was incapable of ignoring her partn- _Nick_ , as he sat less than a yard away from her, motionless, with eyes burning a hole through the darkness that surrounded them.

Hope was a very dangerous thing.

"It was enough for so long, but… I think I want it to have been a date," she said quietly, her ears and cheeks both burning. "Aaaaand you're being awfully quiet and it's kinda stressing me out," she said with a pained grin.

Nick's expression remained impassable as he sat there. After what seemed like forever, he hooked a thumb at the TV. "Want to watch a movie?" He asked, the fire behind his eyes showing no signs of dimming. There was a war going on just beyond their threshold, yet what it was being fought over escaped her. After a moment's hesitation she nodded wordlessly and placed her half-empty cup on the desk behind her. Nick was doing what he did best: deflecting, and for once she was perfectly ok with it.

"Do you want me to stuff this back into the couch or…?"

"Bed's fine," she said, pulling herself atop it and making herself comfortable. She propped herself up with a couple of pillows, making sure she wasn't crowding Nick as he did the same to her right. The space between them was almost comically large as they both hugged the opposing edges of the bed.

"What're you in the mood for?" He asked, having to dig for a moment to find wherever the remote had wandered off to during the night.

"Like, thirty more hours of sleep," she said, her heartbeat beginning to slow as she willed herself to relax. She still felt her ears burning, but decided to take things one step at a time as she tried to work herself back to baseline. A baseline that, much to her displeasure, kept jumping further and further away with every word that was spoken between them.

"You and me both, Fluff," he said before scrolling through the list of movies available to rent. He eventually landed on an old adventure flick, the cover looking innocuous enough. He thought he'd read somewhere that an old wrestler had a part in it… 'Andre', was it? As the opening credits began to roll, he was grateful to finally have something, _anything,_ to fill the void of silence between them. He reached down and fumbled with the heap of blankets that he'd left on the floor. Pulling it up onto the bed, he carefully draped it overtop them both, the space between them on the mattress still very much intact.

Through nothing more than pure chance, he'd unwittingly chosen one of Judy's favorites. She'd seen it dozens of times, and had often used it as an anchor during some of the more trying periods during her life; no matter how chaotic things got for her, the movie - and it's message - remained the same. Today did nothing to alter the course of that trend.

Half an hour rolled by in the blink of an eye with not a single word more spoken between the pair. They'd both said their part- one with words, and one just as effectively with nothing more than a look. All that was left to do now was to think, an act that both were putting their entire beings into trying to put off.

"Hey, Judy?" His words were soft, spoken with great care, yet they still startled her. She tried to play it off and hide the small jump she'd given, and cocked her head towards him, her eyes not yet willing to leave the screen.

"Hmm?"

She heard him take a deep breath. _What are we?_ "...Nevermind."

The silence between them was anything but comfortable, and she found herself helpless to do anything about it. Whether luckily or otherwise, she no longer had to as Nick pierced the silence himself. "I don't want to ruin whatever this is," he said, his words only just loud enough to be heard over the movie.

She didn't want to either. She'd managed to carve a little slice out of big-city life just for her, and couldn't be happier about it. Nick occupied a sizeable part of that slice, however. If it hadn't been for him, she would be back in the Burrows working the same roadside stand that she'd spent every weekend at since she was five, with only a tormentingly small taste of what it might have been like to accomplish her dreams. They were perfect together exactly as they were, so would it even be possible for them to be more? She began to giggle slightly, which made Nick's ears perk. "We're acting like a couple of teenagers, aren't we?" She asked, propping herself up on an elbow to face him.

He returned her look, that same trademark grin she'd grown to adore starting to show itself again. "Guilty."

Judy lowered herself back onto her pillows, facing the screen. "Why is this so hard? We're being ridiculous. We're grown mammals. We tackle our problems head-on."

Nick's heart was threatening to explode. It had been years since he'd last felt it beat with an intensity that could have rivalled what it was doing now. He steeled his nerves for one more question, hoping once again. "Alright, then. Head-on. What are we?"

She took a moment, drumming her fingers together beneath the blanket. Without warning, she got up from the bed and began to dig through her backpack. Nick could only look on, confused, until she resumed her place back beneath the blanket now with a small notebook and a pen in her hands. "What do we normally do when we get stuck on a case?"

Nick shifted his body to face her, the blanket falling to expose his torso. He shrugged. "We… gather and review evidence?"

"Exactly," she said, tapping her pen to the pad for emphasis. "So let's look at the evidence." Evidence is objective and impartial. Evidence doesn't care who you are or what side you're on. Evidence doesn't care what you think the outcome might be. Evidence is evidence, and it can never be anything but.

"So we're going to look at this like another case, then?" Nick asked with a smile, amused at how quickly her demeanor had changed once she'd shifted back into cop-mode. _'Always the officer.'_

"Alright, getting started," she said, not wanting to get distracted in case she lost her nerve. "Are we partners at the ZPD?" She asked, with him quickly realizing she was looking to him for an answer.

"Yes."

She made a note of it on the pad, marking it _#1_. "Okay. Are you my best friend?" She answered her own question while making another note of it. "Yes. Yes you are." She took a second to think, tapping the pen to her chin as she searched for more questions.

Nick beat her to the punch. "If I look at you right now, does it feel like my chest is about to explode?"

Her eyes went wide as they shot over to meet his. He waggled a finger at the notebook. "Go ahead and mark that one 'yes', Fluff," he said with a gentle smile. Her concentration wavered for a moment, but it didn't break as she was able to make a note of it.

"Was yesterday a date?" She asked, trying to work some semblance of stability back into her voice.

"If either of us said anything other than 'yes', we'd both know we were lying."

"'Yes', then," she marked down. "Anything else?"

"I could keep going on, but I think we both see where this is going."

She knew he was right. She could keep asking question after question, but the result would still be the same."...I think I do, too," she said hopefully, hardly able to believe what she was seeing.

It was something he'd never expected to hear. Judy Hopps,of her own volition, with her words, was telling him that there might be something more between them. "I'm willing to give it a shot if you are." He said, his voice not yet shedding the careful tone it had adopted earlier on. "It's not going to be easy, you know…"

"When has that ever stopped me before?" A determined glint had begun to peek through the haze of uncertainty in her eyes.

Nick's heart began to pound. _'That's the bunny I know.'_ While the mood in the room was still far from stable, the unknown that stood between them had slowly started to wash away. For him, the turning tide had carried away years of misgivings and unease. While they had yet to be replaced by better feelings, the space was now free for them to do so. With a little more help from that strange bunny sat next to him, he might not be so lost after all.

The silence between them resumed where it had left off, with both turning their attention back to the movie. It was a different type of uncomfortable that had descended over them now, with the uncertainty of the future being replaced with the uncertainty of the now. Judy's thoughts were racing at a million miles an hour, crashing and bouncing around as she was only able to glimpse the briefest of meanings behind any of them. One thought, in particular, began to stand out amongst the noise. She knew Nick was a fractured soul, and she couldn't help but wonder about the genesis of it all. She knew about he ordeal with the Junior Ranger Scouts, but felt like that was only part of the equation that was him.

"Hey, Nick?"

"Hmm?"

"...What happened to your parents?" She had absolutely no idea where the question had come from. With as emotionally unstable as they both were right now it seemed almost predatory to ask something like that. She figured she was going to have to get to know the _real_ Nick soon enough, especially given to the changing nature of… whatever they were, and this subject would have to be broached eventually. Right now, all of their guards and reservations about the present had been tossed by the wayside, and she'd unconsciously chosen to capitalize on it.

Nick didn't look like he'd heard her, as his expression remained completely unchanged. There wasn't a single flick of an ear or twitch of a whisker as he kept watching the movie. He turned slowly to face her, his eyes still showing no signs of the barricades and walls that they normally hid behind. "They both died when I was a kid. You probably already guessed that, though." It had been years since he'd told this story, and he was at a loss over what it was that compelled him to answer her question. He still had his 'once-per-day' to fall back on, but he felt no real desire to do so. For the first time in his life he wanted nothing more than to open up the the one laying next to him.

"...How? Did they-"

"Was it a hero's death? Did it mean anything? Were they standing up for something they believed in? No," he sighed. "They just… died. Someone walked up to them and shot them, plain and simple, during the middle of the day. The hospital said my mom didn't feel a thing."

"And… your dad?" She was horrified that she was even asking, but was powerless to stop it.

"It took him seventeen hours to die," Nick said flatly, his voice devoid of all emotion. "I was with him for the last fifteen."

She put a paw over her mouth, unable to process what he was saying. "Oh my God, Nick. I had no…"

He simply waved it off, shrugging. "For fifteen hours I sat there and watched him struggle to breath as he just… stopped being my dad. It wasn't painless. It wasn't quick. It wasn't pretty." He took a deep, haggard breath. "The only thing that it _was_ was pointless. Wrong place, wrong time. Whoever did it didn't even take their wallets," he said with a dry laugh. "I mean, who does that?" The smile fell from his muzzle. Even though it had been so long ago, this particular nerve was still raw. "To the cops, they were just another dead couple of foxes, probably up to no good, so they didn't do a damn thing to try and find whoever did it."

Judy's eyes filled with indignant tears, furious that there were mammals out there that thought it was a completely ok thing to do to ignore the senseless murder of two innocents. The very same police force that they were both a part of now had done nothing but abandon him during his deepest time of need. "How could they do that?"

Nick shrugged. "The city was different back then, I already told you that." He used the back of his hand to wipe away a tear before it could fall, the pained sensations he was beginning to feel were all too familiar. He didn't have to dwell on them for long, though, as a very unfamiliar sensation struck him as the distance between him and his partner was rapidly diminished.

She was hugging him. His arms straightened out reflexively, unsure of what to do. It took him only a few seconds to return it, his own arms encircling the bunny that clung so tightly to him. He felt a few more tears threaten to fall, but refused to take his arms off of her to wipe them away. They fell freely, streaking his cheeks as his breathing turned ragged. He couldn't remember the last time he'd cried. He wrapped his arms even tighter around her as he felt the first of her tears wet his fur.

Nick Wilde was an impossibility. He had been broken so completely, yet had managed to carve out a life for himself in a world that couldn't care less whether he existed or not. He'd gone from barely able to make ends meet, to hustling honest mammals for a decent living, to giving it all up at the drop of a hat to fight against the same corruption and unscrupulous sorts that he used to count among his friends. While he was still a long ways away from being unbroken, the pieces that had been mended had started counting themselves in greater company, thanks in no small part to the meddling of a certain gray bunny.

"How are you so…" She was unable to find the right word. Nothing she could say could possibly do him justice.

"There's a million of me, Fluff.

"No," she said resolutely into his fur. "No there is not."

They remained there together as one, huddled beneath the blanket as both refused to be the first one to let go. Nick had rest his chin on top of her head as she tried to bury herself even deeper into his fur. He had enveloped her entire world, filling her with countless new sensations as she tried to absorb everything she could. The soft warmth of his fur beneath her fingers and it's exotic scent that began to permeate her very being... It was like nothing else she'd ever known before. They were so different in almost every conceivable way, yet it felt like he had been made specifically for her. She wanted to parade him through the streets of the city that had so casually tossed him by the wayside and scream at it ' _look at what you almost lost.'_

"What are we?" Judy felt his voice reverberate deeply within his chest. Without a moment's hesitation, she reached to wrap her arms even further around him, trying to hold every last bit of him that she could. She wanted to let him know that everything was going to be ok, that she wasn't going anywhere, and that he was never going to be alone again.

"This," she said, looking up to meet him. "We're this."


	8. Broken

Chapter 8 - Broken

"Favorite band?"

"Wasn't ever too big into music," Nick replied, adjusting the pillow behind his back so he could more comfortably sit up in the bed.

"Oh come on," Judy said playfully, "you had to have been into something."

Nick turned his head up in thought, tapping a finger to his chin. "There was this bar I used to go to about ten years ago that had live music every now and then. This jam band used to come in every couple of weeks and play for three, four hours at a time, low and slow. Don't think I ever caught the name of the act, but… _them_ if I had to pick a favorite."

"Low and slow, huh?"

He nodded. "Lemme guess, yours was _Uncle Jethro's Jug-n'-Spoon Extravaganza_?"

"Ha ha ha, dumb country bunny, right?"

"Your words, not mine," he said, tucking his arms behind his head.

Any attempt at actual indignation she tried to muster up fell completely flat. Nick's sense of humor was endearingly frustrating at the best of times, and she'd given up trying to get _actually_ mad at him a long time ago. "No. My dad was big into all the classic rock acts when I was a little girl, and it sorta rubbed off on me. Turn out listening to the first three Fleetwood Yak albums on repeat before you can walk makes an impact on you."

Conversation between the pair had drifted back into the realm of safe familiarity, feeling neither the need nor desire to delve into anything deeper for the time being. Certain emotional doors were at the very least now visible to each other, with neither quite willing to reach out and see just what lay behind. The space between them on the bed has also grown back as their earlier embrace had ended, with both of them doing a passable job of pretending like it had never happened. Though the mood between them had lightened, that wasn't to say that the tension had let go completely. Back when she was a freshly minted teenager, Judy remembered sitting on the porch of her parents' house and watching as a storm would roll in. The heavy, electricity laden air that would announce the storm's intentions before it had even crested the horizon matched that of the room she was in now. Hugging him, let alone as forcefully as she had, hadn't been a completely conscious decision. It brought forth so many new sensations within her that she was having a hard time picking through the tangle of it all.

The fact that Nick had chosen to remain shirtless throughout the transition from desperate embrace to the more relaxed conversation they found themselves in now certainly wasn't doing anything to douse the flames either. Her eyes, for the most part of their own accord, were helpless to occasionally stray. Whenever he would look away, gesticulating some new part of whatever story he was sharing, she would allow herself to be drawn into the soft colors of his chest. The ombre, rusty hues that made up most of his coat faded into a soft cream as her eyes worked their way inwards. Deceptively soft, she was having to work harder than she thought she'd have to in order to not bury herself in it again.

Nick, for his part, was on about the same page. _We'll talk about it when we talk about it,_ he thought, though his curiosity behind what exactly she had meant by ' _this'_ was gnawing at him. He had a pretty good idea, but didn't trust leaving something like this up to assumption. "So how do you want to spend today?" He asked, lobbing his thoughts safely forward in time.

Judy stretched her arms out above her head, rolling her neck from side to side. "Haven't decided yet. We should still try and lay low for at least a little bit longer, don't you think?"

He nodded. "Breakfast sounds pretty good. You up for it?"

"Could we just order room service? Really don't feel like getting out of bed yet."

A quick staccato knock came from the door, drawing the attention of both mammals.

"Huh, thought I told them to wait until noon."

Nick looked at her, somewhat confused. "What's what?"

"Oh, I said they could come by and swap out our coffee maker around noon," she clarified. "Figured we'd both be somewhere else by then."

The fox took a quick peek at his phone. "It's not even 8 yet," he said, putting the device back face-down next to him. "Bit early, don't you think?"

Judy reluctantly hopped out of bed and made her way towards the door, making a deliberate effort this time to not kick the metal bedpost as she had earlier. She had the funny image in her head of another one of the sharply dressed concierges presenting her with a new coffee maker on one of those fancy silver platters, mumbling something about how he was 'deeply sorry for the trouble', but she was instead greeted with nothing but empty space when the door finished swinging inwards. She blinked, confused, and looked down both ends of the hallway to make sure whoever it was hadn't run off. It was only when she looked down at her feet that she noticed a gift basket, stuffed with all manner of things and tied up with a delicate purple ribbon.

Nick noticed the silence and looked her way. "Everything alright over there?" She held up the object as she headed back, which perked both of his ears as he sat up further. "Seems a bit excessive for a coffee maker."

She put it on the bed before hopping back up herself. A smaller ribbon held a card to the side, which she undid and took into her hand.

"Does it say who it's from?"

She held the card up for him to see, an ornately filigreed 'B' adorning the outside of it. "Wild guess?"

Nick's ears angled themselves backwards, trying to pull the rest of him as far away from the card as possible. "Well that's… unsettling. I knew we were being watched, but I could have gone without _know_ knowing it, y'know?"

Judy flipped open the card and quickly skimmed it's contents. It was written politely enough, with only a hint of questioning as to why they just so happened to be there, but it was what was added in at the very end that caught most of her attention. "...He's invited us to the gala tomorrow," she read.

Nick undid the ribbon tying the basket together and began to pick through it. A bottle of wine and a bottle of what looked to be brandy stood as the centerpieces to the basket, surrounded on all sides by smaller boxes of chocolates and other such treats. He didn't recognize the labels on any of it, but had absolutely no doubt that it was all obnoxiously expensive. He knew Mr. Big's tastes, and the word 'extravagant' was very seldom a word strong enough to express them. "Does it say why?"

Judy shook her head. "Are we going to go?"

Nick popped one of the small chocolates into his mouth, tossing the wrapper off the side of the bed. "We don't really have a choice. Ignoring it would just make us look even more suspicious."

She knew he was right, and it didn't exactly fill her with warm feelings. The dangerous little shrew was smart, if nothing else, and she'd wager he already had a pretty good idea as to why they were really there. He was testing the waters with this invitation, trying to feel out how much of a threat they were and what, if any, response he needed to have ready. "Ugh, this doesn't feel right," she said, a sense of loathing carried plainly with her words. Her relationship with the crime boss' daughter was one that she tried very consciously to put as little thought into as possible. While Fru Fru lacked any apparent interest in the family business, her high-profile lifestyle was very obviously fueled by it. Judy couldn't help but be friendly with her, even coming so far as to count her as a friend, but she was dreading the I.A. report that was sure to surface sooner or later over it. If push came to shove she would just tell the truth and hope for the best. Hopefully her… ugh… _fame_ would grant her some leeway, and she could probably spin it into some sort of 'friends close, enemies closer' malarkey.

"No, it doesn't." He leaned down over the edge of the bed and dug around for a moment, the blanket falling down below his waist and exposing his boxer shorts. He returned with a small pamphlet in his hand and tossed it into the lap of his partner. "No sense worrying about it now, though."

Judy picked up the menu and began to hunt through it. The gift basket had left a sour feeling in her stomach, but she knew she'd only start to feel worse if she didn't get something to eat.

….

"Carrot Days Festival? Seriously?" He asked around another forkful of crepes. He honestly couldn't tell if she was joking or not.

"Yep," she said, her voice resigned. She'd known exactly what his reaction was going to be before she'd told him. "My parents are on the board of directors for the town, and always made it a big deal to put it on each year. It honestly wasn't too bad; plenty of good food and even a few rides as it grew year to year. You never went to a fair as a kid?"

He shook his head. "Never had the money for it. I think the Meadowlands put something on about this time every year, but I've never been. I think I've been outside the city proper maybe..." he took a moment and counted back in his head, trying to remember, "...four times? Five? Never had much of a reason to leave, and never went really far."

Judy, upon hearing this, just couldn't believe it. "Really? Never been camping?"

Nick shook his head.

She looked at him incredulously, her ears perked. "Blackberry picking? Surely there are some vines _somewhere_ in the city."

"Nope."

"Fishing?"

"Out of a drainage culvert once. Does that count?"

"What? No! Fishing! Out of a boat, with bait and lemonade!" Her voice was laced with confusion over the fact that anyone could have lived their entire life without fishing. It had been such an integral part of her childhood and early teen years that she couldn't begin to picture her life back then without it. To greet the sun some mornings out in a small boat drifting lazily in one of the lakes that surrounded their property was always a pleasure of hers.

Nick shook his head again. "Then nope."

She looked him up and down, as if seeing him for the first time all over again. "What is _wrong_ with you?"

Nick chuckled at this, taking an opportunity to take another bite with a shrug. "Guess I've always just been happy being a city fox."

"We are definitely going to have to fix that," she said resolutely.

"Me being happy?" He baited with a raised eyebrow.

She slugged him in the arm. "You know what I mean," she said, matching his smile with one of her own. "When all this 'undercover' business is over, we'll have to try and get some country into you."

Nick nodded with a genuine smile, not completely against the idea. He used to view those that lived outside of the city as adorably quaint in their ways at best, and frustratingly backwards on more than one occasion. Among these thoughts, he was also acutely aware of how he hadn't immediately shot her suggestion down. He'd never even entertained the thought of trying to find 'fun' outside of the city's confines, figuring everything he could ever want could be found within it.

 _Judy isn't from within it, though, is she?_

His eyes grew ever so slightly wider as his thought registered. He'd definitely have to reign that train of thought in before he let it carry him away again. He was reluctant to admit, though, that it wasn't without its merits. She'd opened his eyes to more than a few things since they'd gotten to know each other, often against his will, but very rarely to his detriment. Her entire existence seemed to be based around taking expectations and circumventing them in new and creative ways, always keeping him on his toes, and showing him the joy in things he'd never before considered. She wasn't from the city, and maybe that was why he… Maybe that was why. Reeling that thought back in, anyhow… "Wait," his brow knit itself together. "Can rabbits even eat fish?"

"Catch and release!" She said cheerily, miming a fishing motion with her hands. "It's just a fun way to spend a morning. Drifting out in the middle of the lake has a way of setting your mind straight."

There it was again. Expectation? Meet surprise. Surprise? Expectation. He honestly should have been used to it by now. He should have expected to have been used to it by now, anyway, which was almost certainly why he wasn't. He let out a short laugh at how perfect it all was and returned his attention back to polishing off what was left on his plate. He'd finished eating much quicker than his partner, as she had been doing the majority of the talking during breakfast, for which he was immeasurably grateful. Any distraction from what had transpired between them only a short while ago was more than welcome, and focusing on her now was doing a good job of keeping him from focusing on her then.

That's not to say he was keeping his thoughts one hundred percent in the present. His mind kept drifting back, whether he wanted it to or not, and the memory he kept landing on surprised him. It wasn't what they had shared between each other, or the way that she had looked at him, but it was the simplicity of her touch that captured most of his attention looking back. It had been _years_ since he'd experienced anything like that, and every past experience somehow still paled in comparison to how it had felt to hold, and in turn be held, by _her_.

She smirked, narrowing her eyes at him as she caught him drifting away. "You alright, there?" 

Nick slingshot gracelessly back to the present. "Yeah," he said sheepishly, hoping that her expression didn't mean that she had suddenly learned how to read minds. "Didn't sleep all that great," he said truthfully. "Guess I'm still a little tired." Looking down at his empty plate, a solution to the fog clouding his mind presented itself. "Hey, I'm going to see if there's a gym in this place," he said, rousing himself from his spot on the bed and standing before he could change his mind. "Want to come with?" He asked, hooking a thumb towards the door.

"You go on ahead," she said, pushing her own not-quite-empty plate aside. "I want to look over the files the Chief gave us a little bit more." She gestured to her laptop set up on the study against the window.

They both set about their tasks, with Nick gathering up a small bag to take with him to the gym, while Judy made herself comfy at her laptop, making sure everything she may need to look at or reference was within reach should she need them. She also pulled the curtains covering the panoramic window open, revealing the expansive courtyard lit in the fiery colors of the still-rising sun. It truly was a sight to behold, and she was still having a hard time coming to grips with where she was and what she was doing, like it was straight out of a movie.

It was also a desperate attempt to find something to look at that wasn't Nick getting dressed behind her. She'd be lying if she said she'd never looked… _appreciatively_ his way before.

"Don't work too hard now," she began, carefully casting her attention his way. "We are supposed to be on 'vacation' after all," she said, deliberately mirroring a favorite saying of his these past few days.

Nick shot a smile her way as he finished pulling his shirt down, absently smoothing the wrinkles that had formed along his belly. Throwing his gym bag over his shoulder, he offered her a quick two-fingered salute before leaving the room, closing the door gently behind him. Once it was shut, he let out a deep breath, bringing his thoughts as close to center as he could. His mind was really, _really_ starting to drift to places that he knew would do him no good. Even if it did look like Judy shared his feelings, certain avenues of thought had brought him nothing but pain in the past, and he knew all too well how sharply those parts of his mind he tried to suppress could come back and take over. He was in a constant state of practice keeping his more self destructive thoughts at bay, but he never felt as though he was standing on solid ground. The slightest sway in his focus could, and had in times past, send him spiralling. He hated it. He hated it like nothing else, but there was very little he could do about it. It was a battle he had been fighting by himself for the better part of two decades at this point, and the best he could hope for was an equilibrium, a stalemate, between the two warring factions within him.

On one hand, Nick wanted to be happy. He remembered what it was like to be truly, deeply happy - at least, he thought he did - and he longed to return to it. On the other end, though, he didn't deserve it. Being happy was not something he could allow himself to be.

He reached the entrance to the gym without even realizing it. It was pure chance that he had stumbled across it; he remembered seeing something about a fitness center in the pamphlet left in the room, but he had only briefly glanced at it. Willing to chalk this up to nothing but an unexpectedly pleasant bout of luck, he gave it no second thought as he swiped his room key and let himself inside.

It reminded him a lot of the gym at the ZPD headquarters. It was a two-story affair, with the ground level dedicated to all the sorts of heavy things that you could possibly need. There was a corner full of nothing but squat cages, with the far wall occupied by a rack that spanned the entire breadth of the gym full of differing sizes of dumbbells, with weight ranging from sizes more appropriate for the smaller denizens of Zootopia, with the far end of the set-up holding what may as well have been cars. Treadmills and various cable machines filled the remainder of the center space, rounding it out into a more than respectable gym. The second level consisted entirely of an elevated running track, suspended in the air above the weights and machines of the ground floor with railing along all sides of it offering an unfettered view of the mammals working out below, should you want to look.

He made his way to the locker room, having made up his mind that doing a few laps would probably be better for clearing his mind than weights at the current moment, and changed into appropriate clothing.

….

Now standing at what he deemed the 'starting line' of the elevated track, he ran through all of the stretches he'd been taught at the police academy. He kept on top of his physical fitness, as any good cop should, but running was very rarely on the top of the 'things he wanted to do' list, so limbering up beforehand was always a good idea.

The irony of the fact that his 'things he wanted to do' list now consisted entirely of running laps until he couldn't see straight wasn't lost to him.

Deeming himself adequately limber, he hopped once, twice, three times before setting off at a moderate pace around the track. He didn't have an end goal or number of laps he wanted to complete in mind, he just wanted a reliable distraction from the tempest that was his thoughts until something else required his attention, and running was sure to do the trick.

It was funny, in a way. There was a point in his life, a point that was much more recent than he was comfortable admitting, where all he would want to do when the going got tough was to run away. He would want to beat heels as far away from whatever problem or trouble was causing him grief and set up camp a safe distance away from it to start anew. Old habits die hard, he supposed, even if this 'running' wasn't quite in the 'away' direction. Instead, he just circled.

The track was fairly short, as these sorts of things go, only about one hundred meters from starting line to starting line. As the laps drew on, it was having the exact opposite effect that he had intended; instead of drawing his thoughts away from everything he sought to avoid, it was focusing them inward. With nothing left to think about, and no immediate conflict that required his attention, his mind roamed precisely where he wanted it to avoid. Namely, to himself.

Judy had saved him, there was no question about it. He had come to terms with that some time ago with the help of a bottle of wine or two. Without her, and there was no question about it, he would still out on the streets of this 'great' city known as Zootopia trying to swindle everyone he met for a quick buck. His entire life had been built around finding creative ways to trick others into giving him exactly what he wanted exactly when he wanted it. The ball was always in his court, and he hadn't had it any other way for many, many years. Life had been so simple back then. What made it all worse, perhaps, was that he had enjoyed it.

He could remember it all so well that, sometimes, when he closed his eyes, if he was in _just_ the right presence of mind, he was taken back to sitting in the back of Finn's van without a second's hesitation. He half expected that, when he opened his eyes again, he would be right back where he'd always known he'd end up. Life had become so much more complicated in the intervening years. That banner point in time where everything made perfect sense to him for the briefest of moments stood out to him more and more as the years pressed on. He had never been happy back then, as he blamed himself for too many things to ever truly feel it, but running down his life's clock in the back of that van felt _right._

Another lap down.

Life had been so simple back then. If he were to close his eyes right now, he could picture the best friend he'd ever had sitting in the driver's seat of that old, sputtery van, counting the cash they'd gained from whatever plan they'd hatched and executed that day. He himself would be sitting in the back, his legs dangling out the back as they parked to camp for the night somewhere on the outskirts of the city. He really would have been perfectly ok with life continuing on just as it had been at that moment. He was a fox, and he was content being nothing more than a fox.

Another lap down.

That was all before he'd realized he had a choice in the matter, however. A small grey wrecking ball that went by 'Judy' had careened through the comfortable existence he'd carved out for himself in the city being a fox and doing fox things. He had a reputation to uphold for all fox kind, after all, and damn it all if he wasn't doing his his best to do just that. Life was easy when all he had to do was fit neatly into the expectations that others already had for him. Mammals expected a fox to be a fox, no matter what the time or place, and seemed content in working their lives around it. He was playing a small part in the bigger picture, as though the clever, conniving fox that tricked and lied his way through the city was a usual and accepted part of it all. The big picture couldn't exist without him back then, and he was more than happy to play the part.

Another lap down.

He no longer had to just 'be', though. For the first time in his life, he could 'do'. For the first time in his life, the unexpected burden of choice had been thrown at him rather unwillingly, and all he could do now was fumble with it, hoping that he got a grasp on it all sooner rather than later. Zootopia had always been a place where you were what you were, and there was a beautiful simplicity to it all. Did he really have the right to upset that balance? His very existence now flew in the face of everything that he used to stand for, and swatted away everything he thought he knew about the city. He had _chosen_ to be something different, and it was a choice that he never should have been allowed to make.

As he rounded the final bend to begin his approach to the starting line again, he saw a small grey figure going through the same stretching routine he had. Judy, dressed in her usual gym clothes, spotted him coming her way and waved.

Something inside Nick shifted with that wave. She had also made a choice that, if the world could have had anything to do with it, she would have never been given the choice to make. The same stubborn system of every piece of the puzzle having one right place it could fit had done just as much, if not more, to hinder her as it had done to him, and she'd met it head on. She hadn't had the choice to be something different awkwardly thrust at her. She'd instead dived headfirst into the current and fought for every inch of ground she had gained. Her choice had made the world a better place, 'natural order' be damned. She had single-handedly broken through centuries of ingrained thinking that some could never be more than others, and had done so with such apparent ease that, looking back, it was absurd that there were ever barriers there to begin with.

He'd made the right choice. An internal struggle that he'd faced almost every single day was washed away, easy as that. He was dangerously close to being… happy. In his subconscious, distant alarm bells began to ring.

"Finish your research that quickly?" He asked as she fell into step beside him, matching his pace.

"Still have a bit to do when we get back, but I figured I'd come out and join you for a bit," she replied, quickly finding her rhythm next to him.

Another lap down.

"So we're actually going to the ball that Big is putting on?" Nick could still hardly believe it. He'd hoped they'd have been able to keep their distance from it all, observing the bosses from a safe distance. Instead, they had been singled out and invited into the center of the fray. If he didn't know Big as well as he did, he would think it was trap.

"Yup," she answered. "Did you bring a suit?" She asked, her words as smooth and level as if she were walking leisurely alongside him.

Nick shook his head. "Can't say I expected this. It wasn't on the packing list, either, so it doesn't look like the ZBI did either."

Their conversation continued on as the laps grew in number. Nick found his worries washing away as they talked, blissfully unaware of the telltale warning signs that his mind was throwing at him with as much force as it could muster.

….

He didn't even remember the walk back to their room. He vaguely recalled Judy asking if he was ok after their run, but couldn't remember his response. The hazy toll of alarm bells had grown into a deafening cacophony of sirens and horns, heralding the approach of on of the most dangerous emotions he could feel… Happiness.

Nick was happy, and that made him nervous.

Trainwreck and obstacle one after the other for his entire life had conditioned him, in a way. Through no fault of his own, Nick had been dealt a bad hand from the get go. A lower-income family of foxes that had to struggle tooth and claw day in and day out to carve a life out for themselves where the absolute best possible outcome of it all was a life that was, by design, easy to be brushed aside by those that the city had deemed somehow more 'worthy'. The last vestiges of the Crow Laws, as they were called, were still being enforced when he was a kid. Directed specifically at those species that most well-to-do families wouldn't mention in polite conversation, they limited the overall social hierarchy of wherever their rules were applied. Though the word 'predator' was never mentioned once in the letter of the law as they were written, the spirit of it couldn't have screamed it any louder. The smaller predator species, such as foxes, often bore the brunt of their 'legal' attacks, as they were far less likely to fight back in the same capacity that, say, a tiger or wolf would.

History eventually happened, as it always seems to, and the last of the Crow Laws were abolished right around the time Nick had turned fourteen. The damage had already been well and truly done by that time, and its ragged claw marks would likely never be scrubbed from him.

The bathroom door closed behind him and he fumbled with the knob with as steady a hand as he could manage, locking it. He stood there staring unblinkingly at the door, unsure of exactly how much time was passing. Eventually, he turned to face the sink, his paws grasping the cold edges of it to support his weight as he leaned over it, staring into his own eyes in the mirror.

 _Things don't happen to you, things happen_ because _of you._ It had always been his fault that he was a fox, and he had no choice in the matter except to buck up and deal with it, gritting through whatever open scorn might be directed at him and his family that day. His parents tried their best to shield him from it all, oftentimes deliberately making themselves targets to keep him from having to deal with any more than he had to.

It was this that had ultimately resulted in their deaths. It wasn't through anything that they had done, but simply the matter of being what they were that had resulted in him losing two of the only people that had ever taken care of him.

 _He had been at school when it had happened._

His eyes snapped open, locking into their reflection in the mirror. He took a deep, haggard breath, gripping the sides of the sink so tightly that his nails were at risk of being blunted. He knew what was coming next, but tried to fight it as long as he could.

One. Two. Three. He counted with each breath he took, carefully measured and paced to try and stave off the intrusive memories that were battering against his defenses with hurricane force. Maybe, just _maybe_ he could keep them from coming this time. His mind began the familiar war with itself, clawing at any scrap of progress it could as the battle waged within himself on two separate, yet intrinsically linked fronts. He screwed his eyes shut and tried to dredge up any memories he could to try and combat the scene that had played itself out so many times within him. Another piece of him died every time he re-lived it, it's unchecked march through his soul always tearing another piece of him away. He was unable to do anything about it _because_ _it was all his fault._

 _A series of multiplication problems were written on the board, and he looked back and forth between his paper and the questions as he completed them._

He forced his eyes closed with even more pressure, the muscles in his brow now straining as he tried to remember something, _anything_ other than what was sure to continue flashing through. He recalled sitting in front of the TV when he was a small child, barely five at the time, watching cartoons. He remembered how one of the wooden slats on the wall next to the TV had been broken, the crack running from ceiling to floor, and how there was a little stain on the carpet next to him that looked like a duck if you tilted your head _just_ right. He remembered hearing his name being called from the kitchen, the sweet sound of his mother's voice amplified by the smell of-

 _Only one problem to go. Someone he didn't recognize moved into the classroom, stepping carefully so as to not make too much noise and disturb the students working quietly away. Nick payed him little attention as he walked over to the teacher, Mrs Corcumps, and placed a hand on her shoulder. He whispered something into h-_

One. Two. Three. He remembered Mom bringing a tray and setting it in front of him on the floor. He remembered the smile she gave him as he thanked her by making a funny face before digging in. He remembered that it was pancakes, and how the first bite burnt the top of his mouth. Maybe later in the day she'd take him out into town to run some errands with her before Dad got home. He leaned b-

 _The teacher's expression hadn't changed as she walked towards him, his attention now drifting curiously towards her instead of his work. "Come with me, Nick," she said, and nothing more as she and the strange man lead him into the hallway. He asked what was happening, but he was only told to be quiet and to wait. As he walked he tried to avoid stepping on the cracks in the floor._

One. Two. Three. His nails bit at the sink. All his weight had shifted to one leg.

One. Two. Three. Mom came into the room with a small tray of her own and sat down next to him, pushing him playfully to the side with her shoulder. The tray had a floral print on it. Blue. It matched the dress she was wearing. She took one of the cups from her own tray and sat it on his, quickly stealing a blueberry before he could see. He'd noticed, though, but didn't do anything about it. He had plenty of blueberries. He could share. The stain on the carpet on his right was fainter today than he remembered it being before. It had been at least a year since he'd spi-

 _The heavy, solid wooden door to the principal's office shut behind them as Nick was shepherded inside. The man was trying really hard to not look at him. He looked at his teacher to see if maybe she would tell him what to do, but she was too busy fidgeting with her necklace to notice that his attention had shifted. "Your parents had an accident," the man began suddenly, trying to tailor his words to the child sitting in front of him._

One. Two. Three.

Nick's grip on the sink faltered, and he rocked himself backwards against the wall. His knees gave shortly afterwards, and he slid down in a crumpled heap. A single sob wracked through him, his entire body jolting with the force of it. The memory - _that_ memory - played back through in its entirety, his feeble tissue-paper defenses against it torn through and discarded.

He used to be able to fight it. He could try and focus his entire being into remembering simple moments from when he was a child to redirect his emotions. The effortless joy of simply being a child had often been enough to curtail his self-destruction, though its power had been waning slowly but surely as the years drew on. It was like building a tolerance towards a drug, where once it used to offer salvation and respite from the pain now only taunted you with its ineffectiveness, though still dulled it _just_ enough to make clinging to it seem like the best option. It used to work, so maybe it would work again. He knew it was a failing solution, but he had nothing else.

He let it run its course, familiar, if not fresh, in his memory:

 _The strange man, the walk down the hallway, the split-second look from a teacher through another class' window._

 _The office, the 'have a seat', the stiff leather chair with the upholstery pin upturned in the armrest._

 _The hesitant eye contact, the single sentence, the finite amount of time where everything was still ok coming to an end._

 _Door 483, the beep of machinery, his dad looking him in the eye for the last time._

One. Two. Three. He was only barely aware of the timid knock at the bathroom door. The handle jostled subtly, but the bolt kept it from opening.

One. Two. Three.

He quickly dismissed the idea of trying to wrangle his emotions back under control quickly enough to answer the door like nothing was wrong. Pretending like everything was perfect had lost its point. It had been years since he'd been struck like this, and he'd almost, _almost_ forgotten what it was like. To lose yourself so completely to a wave of emotion like this was such a helpless feeling. To be powerless to do anything as all your defenses were swept away with the current as you were bashed against rock after rock after rock after rock after rock in the frothing rapids of memory. The nightmares - those never went away. He'd come to terms with dealing with them night after night, their routine allowing him room to get used to them. They were never welcome, but they had long since lost their sting. This torrent of feeling, tough… he was completely at its will for as long as it decided to last. The worst of them had left him behind a department store for days, sobbing into nothingness as the entire world crashed in around him. His soul had split into so many pieces that day that he'd never felt quite the same; there was always, just below the surface, a raging maelstrom of hopelessness fighting to escape through the same cracks it never allowed to mend.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the lock, Judy pressed an ear to the door. Her hand hovered a few inches away, hesitating before knocking once more. "Nick?" There was no response aside from the sobbing that had caught her attention in the first place.

He'd seemed a little distant on the way back to their room, but she'd chalked it up to him being tired after the run. He'd been acting odd for a few days now, but this didn't feel like an extension of that to her. This was… different, somehow. This wasn't a new development, no. This was old growth. He'd been holding on to this for a long time.

The door creaked away from her head, startling her, and she took a reflexive step backwards as it swung inwards. Nick glanced sheepishly at her, not having even bothered to dry the tears that streaked and matted the fur along his muzzle. She was at a complete loss for words, unable to even ask if there was anything she could do.

While normally Nick would have been ashamed to have anyone see him in his current state, he found the widening cracks in his heart draining everything from his self that wasn't a dull, ringing numbness. He made an awkward, half hearted gesture towards the bed and then stepped around her to sit on it. His walk was unsteady, and he took great care lowering himself down to sit on its edge, his legs feeling like one step further would have left him collapsed on the floor.

Now wasn't a time for words, but for action, yet Judy was frozen in place. She wanted to help, but where even to begin?

Nick lazilly gestured a thumb towards the bathroom. "Trust me," he said, not looking up from the spot on the floor he was focusing on, "you do _not_ want to go in th-there." His voice faltered at the end of the sentence, the simple act of forming words coming dangerously close to draining him of his remaining energy.

"Nick…" She padded over to him and took a seat next to him. She reached a hand out to his shoulder but caught it before she made contact, instead letting it drop back down to her side. "What's wrong?"

He didn't answer at first, the space between them filled with nothing but the sound of each other breathing. "...Lotta things, Carrots." He said, the full depth of what he meant lost to the bunny next him. He took another unsteady breath, his breathing hoarse. "Saw a doctor for it once. Called it... Post traumatiwhatever. Said it probably started with my par-" His voice cracked, and his eyes screwed shut. The tears started again, but they lacked the sting they had carried earlier.

What was there that she could do? She hated feeling this helpless, but anything she could have done would run the risk of feeling trite and insincere. All she could do was be here. All she could do was not run away, not hide, not disappear as so many others unbeknownst to her had.

She helped him undress, guiding his arms out of his shirt sleeves, his body completely sapped of the life it normally carried. He felt so _different_ beneath her hands than the handful of times they'd touched before. It was in such stark contrast to the embrace they'd shared earlier that it was hard to believe it was the same fox in front of her. She pulled his shirt over his head, still smelling like the gym, and tossed it somewhere behind her, not particularly caring where it landed. She helped him out of his shorts next as he rubbed at his eyes, trying to make them work again. His legs hung limply over the edge of the bed, and she had to lift them each in turn to get them out.

There he was, laid almost completely bare, yet so much still was invisible to her. Every pitiful breath he took broke her heart even further as she tossed his shorts in the same general direction of his shirt. She placed a hand behind his shoulder and eased him backwards. She placed a hand on his chest after tucking him beneath the blanket, allowing it to linger for a moment, rising and falling with his breathing. While a completely relative word, she wanted him to be as comfortable as possible. Even if there was little she could do, she was going to do what little she could. A pain she'd never felt before stabbed at her heart to see him, normally so proud, reduced to… this _._

 _This._

It was the same word she'd said earlier that morning when he'd asked what they were. She hated that she didn't know exactly what she'd meant by it, but it was the closest she could come to expressing how she felt at the time. It was a mistake, in hindsight, as there was so much more she had wanted to say. She chided herself for being too scared to say anything more, and vowed to rectify it as soon as possible. Now, however, there were more pressing matters.

Making one last check to make sure he would be ok, she retrieved the bottle of wine from the gift basket and a glass and corkscrew from the top of the bar, setting both next to her laptop before seating herself. Continuing to research the case had plummeted down her list of priorities. She opened the bottle and poured herself a glass while waiting for her computer to boot. It was a wonderful variety of red, but the taste of her first sip barely registered.

She cast a look over at him in the bed. Nick had turned to face away from her, having fallen into something that closely resembled sleep. He was clutching the blanket tightly up against himself, as though he were scared he'd fall if he let go. His breathing was slow and steady, which was already a marked improvement over how he had been only minutes ago.

' _Post traumatic stress disorder.'_ She decided to type the full name into the search bar instead of the abbreviation, hoping that maybe it would return better results. Definition after definition splashed onto the screen, but she already knew what it was. It was covered in a handful of the books they'd had to read during her time at the academy, but those mostly dealt with officers having to life with the repercussions of their actions on duty. Nick's case was different, as he had been helpless from the start. It wasn't his own action that he had to live with, but the actions of others that had weighed him down his entire life. She needed to know _it_ to know _him._

 _ **Author's Note:**_ _This is NOT the chapter I set out to write, holy cow. I've heard other writers say that a chapter will write itself sometimes with you unable to do anything about where it goes or what happens, but I'd never believed it until now. I'd been staring at the first few paragraphs of this for a couple weeks not making a lot of progress and then BAM, whole thing wrote itself in three days. Not super happy with it, but dammit her it is. Expect the chapters to be coming a bit more frequently from here on out! (famous last words, eh? Especially from me, geez. *glares at TFC*) Cheers!_


	9. Nothing Would Change

Chapter 9 - Nothing Would Change

 _Post Traumatic Stress Disorder._

She had been reading about it ever since Nick had gone back to sleep almost an hour ago, and, while she still felt nowhere near close to fully understanding it, she felt as though she were at least beginning to get a handle on what all it entailed. While the - she hesitated to use the word 'breakdown', even in her own mind - that Nick had experienced was a very rare experience among those afflicted with the disorder, it was still documented. As such, there were also guides and tips for aiding the one suffering. While the lists and countless sources she had read were far from comprehensive, and as much as they had begun to blend together in her mind, a common theme stood out among them all: simply being there for them, in whatever capacity you can manage, is often of immeasurably more help than most would first give it credit for.

Easy enough, she thought, leaning back from her laptop and looking over at her partner. He'd kicked all the blankets off again, but was otherwise sleeping soundly. With how poorly he'd admitted to sleeping last night, the fact that he was able to drift back off so quickly came as no surprise to her.

The sun had fully come into its own in the sky, its light now no longer as harsh as it had been a short while earlier. A quick check of the clock told her it was approaching ten and that she'd been at her research for the better part of an hour now.

As much as she wanted to let her partner sleep, it was probably a better idea for her to wake him so they could get about their day. There wasn't an awful lot that they had to attend to, but the unexpected invitation to the Gala tomorrow presented them with trying to solve the problem of acquiring formal wear.

She spun her chair around from the desk to face the couch-turned-bed, but stopped herself before she stood. She found herself once again doing nothing more but looking at him, but it somehow felt different this time. Her gaze was being cast through a different lense thanks to the various realizations and insights into him she'd found herself with, and it brought with it a novel sense of indecision. She no longer found herself wondering where to go, but instead about where to go _now._

You would think those two phrases identical, but there is a very important distinction to be made between them. Wondering where to go is to be completely uncertain, whereas wondering where to go _now_ implies a decision has been made. It's standing at the base of a hill, your destination in sight, trying to decide which path to take to the top. Where to go _now_ is an after-the-fact question that she now had to answer before everything they'd talked about risked sliding into the 'things-we-pretend-never-happened' bucket. It was letting that bucket overflow that had gotten them into a couple of the bigger… _predicaments_ these past couple of days. But where to go _now_? It was a very good question that she was in no way prepared to answer.

Nick shifted in his sleep, bringing her back in to focus. She let her eyes roam completely freely this time, unhindered by whatever unrecognizable emotion kept her from doing so this morning. The rhythmic rise and fall of his chest was slow and steady, standing in stark contrast to the restless toss-and-turn she found him in earlier. This was a rare opportunity to study him in detail, and she wasn't going to let it pass her by without taking complete advantage of it.

Time passed - she wasn't sure how much - but she eventually made her way over and sat on the edge of the bed next to him.

He roused at this, blinking into wakefulness as the bed jostled ever so gently beneath her weight. He looked around and took a moment to remember where he was. "Hey."

"Hey," she replied with a smile laced with concern. "Feeling any better?" There were so many more questions she wanted to ask right now, but it was probably a better idea to start there and work her way up to some of the meatier ones later.

Nick sat up and stretched for the second time that morning, somehow feeling more refreshed with this brief nap than he did after a full night's attempt at rest. "I _really_ needed that," he said with a half-hearted smile. "Sobbing into the toilet really has a way of taking it out of you."

She shook her head with a tired smile. At least he seemed to be in pretty good spirits about the whole thing. He'd normally use humor as a quick remedy whatever was bothering him, but this felt more like his normal, goofy sense of humor instead of a bandage. "I bet." She hesitated, working out how to word her next question so as to not upset him. She didn't know the full extent of what he was going through or what it all brought with it, and so wanted to err more on the side of caution with her prying. "Are they always that…" She trailed off, struggling to find the appropriate word to describe what he'd just endured.

"Violent?" He offered helpfully, scratching briefly at his side. "Nah," he said, leaning backwards using his hands as supports. "It's been a long, _long_ time since something like that happened. Hey, look," he started, leaning forwards. "I know you want to help, but just, uh…" He rubbed at his eyes. "Just give me a bit, yeah?" He watched as her expression dropped quickly into apprehension, so he worked quickly to allay any fears she had. "Hey," he reached out and took her hand, "I know that look. You didn't do anything wrong, ok? I just need to get my head straight on a few things. Maybe get some fresh air," he comforted, working his fingers back and forth across the tops of hers.

Judy visibly relaxed as he spoke, grateful that she hadn't accidentally screwed anything up before she had a chance to do anything about it. Some fresh air would probably do her some good as well, if she were being truthful with herself. "Right, right. Sorry." It took her a moment to realize that her hand was still in his. Alright, definitely need some fresh air. "Want to go check out the courtyard?"

" _That_ sounds like an amazing idea," he replied happily. "Lemme put some clothes on real quick, though. When did I take them off?"

* * *

The interior of the hotel, for as expansive as it was, was laid out in such a way that made navigating it fairly straightforward. Everything was where you would expect it to be, and signs and navigation posts were dotted at junctions and crossways almost everywhere you looked just in case you did manage to get yourself lost. So it was that they were able to head to the ground floor and make their way towards the center of the structure. A large glass double door was all that stood between them and the courtyard now. While they had been walking side by side, Nick pulled ahead to open the door, and was met with a burst of chilly air as it opened.

"Wow, probably should have grabbed a jacket," Nick said as he followed his partner outside. "You gonna be alright?" He asked, looking down. He knew her fur wasn't quite as adept at warding off the cold as his own.

There was absolutely no mistaking the first autumn chills in the air today, and the persistent breeze that pushed it towards them did nothing to make it easier to ignore. "Should be," she replied, starting her way down the path. "If it gets too bad we'll head back inside."

The courtyard somehow looked even more vast at this level than it had from the vantage point they had back at their room. It stretched on for several hundred yards beyond them in all directions, laced with pathways that lead to all the different areas that it held within. Areas of trees and small clearings were both available in equal supply. Gardens with an innumerable variety of flowers both exotic and familiar were placed among the grounds. Every locale and style was represented in strong form, taken from the wild and concentrated. What should have been an eclectic mish-mash of unrelated flora and decorative styles meshed together to form something undeniably beautiful. It was, in its own way, a perfect reflection of the building that surrounded it, which in itself was one of the city. On paper, absolutely none of it should work.

A fox and a rabbit both sat down on a bench together.

They had chosen a spot in front of one of the larger ponds that the courtyard held, the bench in a wonderful position to look across it and towards the center of the grounds. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky to dampen the sunlight washing down all around them. The pond, despite the breeze, was as smooth as glass and reflected every swaying reed, tree, and blade of grass in perfect clarity.

They both sat in silence for some time, enjoying the distraction that being outside was presenting. Nick had closed his eyes and reclined himself backwards, much as he had done when they were waiting for their Zuber earlier in the week.

Finding a comfortable spot to sit as she watched the day pass by was something that Judy had done countless times in the past. In years gone by, she would often park herself out in one of her parents fields and watch as the clouds trundled through the sky, or retreat back beneath the safety of the porch if those same clouds began to turn gray, heralding an approaching storm. Even then, she would still sit and watch. There was a certain peace that came with waiting simply for the act of it, and not for some specific end. Fitting with the recurring theme of the past few days, however, this instance of an act that she had done so many times before felt... different.

Unfortunately, she no longer had the luxury of not knowing what it was that was making everything feel so unfamiliar. Her first realization had been ushered in by a single wink, and she had only just wrangled her emotions back under control by the time that they had reached the front desk for check in. The rug she tried to sweep it all under proved to be far too small by the time they went to dinner, where that stupid waitress and her stupid insinuations had upended everything she had been balancing so carefully between ignorance and acceptance. For the longest time, her emotions had been a ringing phone left unanswered. She'd picked it up now, though, and there was no setting it back down.

How did he make her feel? The answer to that question was tormentingly elusive. Her life had been dedicated towards the singular purpose of becoming a cop for as long as she had been old enough to dream, and that hadn't left her with much room to explore much of life's other adventures. Maybe it wasn't _how_ he made her feel that was so important - there would be plenty of time to pick apart that avenue of thought in the coming days - maybe it was that he _made_ her feel, full stop.

A light-bulb clicked on in Judy's mind. That was it. That had to be it. There was no special certain type of way she was supposed to be feeling right now, and trying to pin it down to any one thing was sure to be a fruitless endeavor. What made Nick so important right now was that he made her feel _all_ of it. Every half-stepped thought brought on by one of his looks or comments… every single bit of it was just as important as any other.

"You promised to try and relax," Nick prodded playfully, his half-lidded eyes looking down at her.

"Sorry, I was a million miles away there." She shook herself briefly to clear her head. "So…" She began uncertainly. "Feeling any better?"

The fox took a moment before answering. The fresh air was doing wonders to clear his head, true, but there was so much clouding his mind that it was hard to know which part of him it was exactly that was feeling better. He settled on a simple nod. He leaned back, closing his eyes. "This was a good idea."

"Good," she replied, some of her own worries beginning to fade. _Safe conversation_ , she thought, _keep it safe…_

... _No._ She needed to learn about him."What's it like? The… 'event', I mean," she quickly clarified. Part of her worried that it'd come off as too intrusive to ask, but she wouldn't - or perhaps _couldn't -_ let herself avoid it. "You don't have to answer right now. I just wan- Need to know."

Nick took a deep breath. "It's hard to explain. I'm not even sure _I_ really understand it. It's like…" He scrunched his eyes closed, seeking for an answer that would make sense. "It's like riding your bike down a hill that's _way_ too steep, and noticing right after you take off that your brakes aren't working. You're trying everything you can to try and slow down as the fence at the end of the road gets closer and closer, faster and faster. What happened back in our room is what it looks like when I hit that fence. I'm lucky it wasn't worse."

His partner furrowed her brow in thought, filing away everything he was saying in case she needed it later. "It's been worse before, hasn't it?"

Nick nodded slowly, his mouth a straight line. "It has."

Judy hummed thoughtfully at that, deciding not to pry. At least not yet. She turned her attention back out across the pond.

Another chilly breeze swept over them, causing Judy to tightly cross her arms in response. A second or two passed before a sensation of pressure against her side caught her off guard. Before she could fully process what was happening, Nick had wrapped his arm around her waist from behind and drew her in close to him, shielding her from the wind.

"To help with the cold," he answered in response to what he was sure was an unspoken question of hers. "Try not to think too hard about it." He set about trying to heed his own advice before he could lose himself further, but he knew it was a battle he would eventually lose.

Judy's eyes went enormously wide as the last of her safeguards were washed away. The embrace they'd shared this morning had been one of desperation, where everything keeping them apart had been stripped away in an instant leaving no course of action but that which they had taken.

This, though, was a much more careful display. Passion had been replaced with trust and familiarity. She'd unconsciously tensed up beneath his grasp, and her heart was now in a contest with itself to pump as much blood as it could into her ears. She was… comfortable, but in a way she'd never been before. To be honest, it scared her. She looked up at her partner to try and get a read on him, but found he'd adopted that damned look of his again. He was normally pretty adept at hiding what he was feeling, but every now and then his practiced smoothness would fail him, and in a hasty attempt to patch things up and hide whatever he could he would put on what could best be described as a mask. His face was completely devoid of any normal emotion, as though he'd been rebooted and was waiting for everything to fall back into proper line. It was a look she saw very infrequently, but this was unmistakably it. In an ironic twist, his lack of expression told her everything she needed to know.

She willed herself to relax, leaning further into his side. Her motion caused him to start and look down at her, but she pretended not to notice as she took another breath, looking out over the pond. _Calm yourself, Judy. This is… Nice._

Nick's thoughts, meanwhile, had taken a slightly more purposeful path than simply admiring the situation. Taking center stage above all: where do they go now?

To answer that question, he first had to answer another. This one was a little more straightforward, yet no less difficult to answer. It wasn't that there was a 'right' or 'wrong' way to answer it; it was that he had to answer it at all that irked him. The question wasn't where to go, no. The question was: where did he want to be?

He looked down at the bunny leaning against him, her eyes drifting aimlessly from point to point in the park that surrounded them as she tried to concentrate on anything but him. She lifted herself ever so slightly from the bench and pressed closer into him, the hesitance from earlier slowly melting away along with the cold that had started all this.

Where did he want to be? The answer was now clearer to him than anything had ever been before.

His mind flitted back to that night spent in the back of Finnick's van where all of life's worries, as numerous and unavoidable as they may be, had all seemed so small. He'd decided that life would be ok, no matter who or what tried to convince him otherwise. There hadn't been anywhere to be back then. There were no pressing issues that needed to be resolved, and none of life's 'big questions' were important enough to try and find the answer to. Life was a day to day affair in preserving the status quo. There was nowhere to be because he had no intention of going anywhere.

Him asking questions about himself was a recent development, and he was far from well enough equipped to handle any of it. All of the questions, worries, and soul-searching had been filing themselves into a box he had lost the key to years ago. Now that the key had been thrown back at him, everything hitting him at once was overwhelming. After many years, though, he finally had answer to at least one of the questions.

Where did he want to be? He wanted to be right here. Whatever this was, it was exactly what he wanted.

"You never told me what _'this'_ meant," he said quietly, lending a voice to the tail end of his thoughts..

Judy let her head fall to the side, her cheek coming to rest on his arm. She took a deep breath. "I'm not sure _I_ know what I meant. This is all so…" She paused, her left arm reaching out in front of her as if she were trying to pluck an answer from thin air before dropping it back, defeated, to her lap. "I don't know, Nick," she finally brought herself to say, heart racing. "I don't know what _this_ is."

The way she said it let him know that it was a different type of _this_. He couldn't fault her for it, as he had only begun to work out the basest of details himself. So many questions remained unanswered, but the fog (which he was realizing now was more or less self-imposed) was beginning to clear. There was no picture yet, but he was at least beginning to see the frame.

Another breeze swept over them, prompting Nick to draw her even closer still against him. She surprised herself when she did nothing to resist.

She had relaxed considerably since he'd first wrapped his arm around her, and was slowly coming to terms with the number of novel sensations that were being introduced to her. So many things that she had always considered so far outside the realm of possibility were now starting to happen. That first domino had been tipped, and was falling rapidly down towards the next. There was a short lived moment of panic as she considered whether or not to try and stop its fall, but she quickly decided that letting things fall as they would wouldn't be the end of the world.

"Whatever it is, though?" She said. "I think I'm ok with it."

Nick hummed his agreement. He tilted his head to the side and rest it gently atop hers, which earned him a small laugh and a brief, affectionate nuzzle. "Me too, Fluff. We've got all week to try and put a name to… _whatever_ this is," he said with a quiet sigh. "I'm all for just letting it happen. I-If you are, too, that is," he quickly amended, a little less smoothly than he would have hoped to.

Judy couldn't help but giggle at this, more of the tension she was holding fading away with each passing moment they shared. "I'm willing to try, too. Goodness knows I could use a break from thinking about all this," she scoffed good naturedly. "Do you have any idea how much I've been worrying?"

"With that world-class poker face you have?" He intoned sarcastically. "I hadn't had a clue."

She swatted at his chest weekly with the back of her hand. "Hush. This is… Nice, though. Sitting here, I mean."

She felt Nick nod his head in agreement.

"It's been so long since I've been back to visit my parents that I'd started to forget how nice this all could be," she started. "I know it's not quite the same," she gestured towards the towering walls of the hotel that encircled them, "but it's just close enough."

"What's it like at your folks' place?" Nick asked, finding himself idly wondering about where she'd grown up. She'd made mention of it before, but only in passing. Small little glimpses that, when added together, still didn't form a clear enough picture for him.

"A little crowded, and no real privacy, _especially_ inside one of the burrows. Walking around as a kid was always of minefield of will-they-won't-they be dressed." She made a small shuddering noise. "But once you get outside…" Her voice took on an air of a far-away happiness. "Rolling hills all around you, and the fields, especially the northern ones, looked like they stretched on _forever_ … I'd love to wake up early most days and sit and watch the sunrise before going to school."

"So did you all get everything you needed from the farm?"

She couldn't help but take note of the funny way she could feel him talking through the top of her head. So much of this was new… "Well, not _everything_ ," she stressed. "We'd go into town once every week or so to stock up on things we'd need: tools if my dad couldn't fix what was already on the farm, breakfast cereal that you couldn't exactly grow in a field, art supplies or other little knick knacks for some of my siblings. It's been, what…" she counted back in her head how long it had been since she'd been back home. "Gosh, nine months?" She said, surprised at the length of her absence. "Sure doesn't feel like that long. I should try and make a trip down there soon. I've never been away from my parents for this long before. I can't imagine how it must feel for y-"

Nick could have sworn he heard a screeching sound as she slammed on the brakes faster than he'd ever heard her do before. Even that little slip where she admitted to digging around in his record was nothing compared to this.

Her ears shot bolt upright as she pulled away from him, her eyes wide and panicked. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" She rattled off as quickly as she could manage. "I didn't mean- When I said…" She scrunched her eyes shut and pressed her knuckles into her brow. "Oh, stupid, stupid, stupid…" she repeated, chastising herself.

Nick, for his part, couldn't help but laugh at how roughly she was treating herself for what would have been such an innocent observation. "Hey, hey, hey," he said through a smile. He used his forearm to brush her ears back down flat. "Easy, Carrots." He put his arm back around her and gently coaxed her back into leaning against him. He gently stroked against her side with his thumb as she tried her best to shrink out of existence.

"...I can't believe I said that…" she whispered in equal parts disbelief and horror.

The corners of Nick's mouth crept back upwards. "It's perfectly OK," he comforted, "really. Me being upset about it isn't a normal thing, don't worry."

"How can you say that after-" She went stiff as she stopped herself once again. For the second time in almost as many minutes she'd come close to saying something that she was horrified had even crept across her mind.

"After my little 'event'? Wasn't that how you put it?" Nick's words were colored by his growing smile.

Judy desperately wished a meteor would strike somewhere close by to put her out of this misery. Existence was a mistake and a burden.

Nick didn't give her time to sort out a response, instead continuing on his own. "I'll admit, something isn't quite… _right_ with me. Therapy would probably be a good idea, now that I think about it," he said with a dry laugh. "It's not something that I let weigh on me all the time, though, is I guess what i'm trying to say. Ninety nine percent of the time, them being gone is just an unpleasant fact that I came to terms with a long time ago. I don't get to choose when it becomes a bigger problem. It just kind of," he rolled his hand through the air, "happens. And to answer that first little thought you were going to have, about what it's like for me? It's not great," he answered honestly. "There's not a lot I wouldn't do to have either of them back, but what's been done is done. I'm glad I can finally be something that both of them would be proud of instead of a futureless street hustler." He gave her a little squeeze at that, not giving her any choice but to press closer to him.

They sat there in silence for quite some time, with Judy spending a good bit of it at the start trying not to beat herself up too much over her slip; if Nick said it was fine, she was going to try and take it at face value. She found it easier to stop worrying once her partner lowered his head back down to rest atop hers. It was such a simple gesture of affection, but it made her feel… something. So many new feelings and sensations were whizzing about within her that it was dizzying trying to keep up with them. She smiled, relishing in the feeling of his fur intermingling with hers as she did so.

The shared silence was broken after a spell. "What were your parents like?" Judy asked, feeling safe enough in her line of thought after the fox's assurances. She felt his cheeks pull across the top of her head as he smiled, which was definitely a good sign that she wasn't overstepping her bounds. "I've been thinking about them ever since I saw that little picture you keep in your bedroom."

A few select memories flashed through Nick's mind at her question. "I honestly couldn't have asked for better," he began wistfully. "I wasn't quite old enough to appreciate it at the time, which makes me hate that I spent such a long time trying to pretend like they'd never existed after they died." He took a deep breath, but it wasn't one of anguish or pain. It was a breath that spoke of a quiet acceptance for how poorly he had handled everything that had come so soon after. No sense getting lost in that forest of thought right now. "My mom was a baker at a little shop near our apartment. She'd have to get up super early every morning to get there with enough time to make sure all the breads and cookies or whatever were set up and ready for the day, and then she'd be back right after I got home from school. Dad was a tailor."

"Your dad was a tailor, but you still choose to wear those _awful_ shirts of yours?"

"Ouch, Fluff," he said, bopping her playfully on the top of her head with his chin. "They're very well fitted awful shirts, I'll have you know. Super comfy."

She responded to his tap to her head with an attack of her own, thumping his leg with a finger. They settled back into one another as another breeze began to play around them, reminding them of the initial purpose - or perhaps excuse - for their closeness. "I was always lucky enough to have my mom and dad around whenever I needed them. Living where you work came with a few benefits," she said. The farthest her dad would ever be away was on the outskirts of one of the fields, which was still within running distance should she need to. Her mom was always busy around the house, as taking care of as many children as she had was a full-time job of its own. Judy never hesitated to come to either of them with any small problem she was having, and they were always willing to help, even if their tendency was to err on the side of overbearing.

"It's not like mine were never there," Nick said. "We weren't exactly well off, but they always made sure that we had everything we needed. There wasn't much room for 'fun money', but every now and then they'd treat me with a trip deeper into the city for a day of sightseeing, or shopping, or whatever else it was they thought would be fun." Nick's smile faltered for a moment, the corners of his mouth ticking downwards as the memories of those trips came back to him. "Mammals weren't exactly the most polite to a family of foxes walking around. It wasn't open scorn or anything like that, but I could tell we were always being watched. It's like they thought if they watched us long enough they'd catch us in the middle of some trick we were pulling. My parents always tried to shield me from the worst of it, and I couldn't possibly be more thankful for it. They gave me some wonderful memories."

Memories that, for better or for worse, were now all that he had left of them.

"It's funny how much you start to remember when you realize you'll never make any more memories with someone," he finished with a low sigh.

Judy pulled her head out from beneath his and looked up at him, a cautiously curious look in her eyes as they met his. "What do you mean?"

"It's like," he paused, once again finding himself in a search. This bunny had a knack for putting him at a loss for words. He quickly made to ignore the portion of his conscience that amended ' _in more ways than one'_ to the end of his previous thought, but agreed to give it some more thought once he could give it his full attention. ' _It, or her?'_ Came the same unhelpful voice, refusing to cooperate. "It's like everything is suddenly important, now matter how normal it used to be. Bad memories you used to want to forget are all of the sudden just as special to you as the good ones, because you know you'll never make any more. You'll never have another birthday with them, you'll never eat dinner with them," he paused, "you'll never see them walk between rooms out of the corner of your eye anymore, which sounds so stupid now, because why would that be something that you notice? But when forgetting anything about them means another part of who they were is lost forever, everything is irreplaceable."

Judy took a moment to process this, still looking up at him as he looked out over the pond. She'd never lost anyone truly close to her before, so she had very little common ground to stand on with him in that regard. Her parents were the two single most important figures in her life growing up, and it sounded like Nick's childhood was much the same. Catching wind that a grandparent you haven't seen in eight years, or a cousin that you met maybe three times has passed is a lot different in how it affects you. Losing one of them meant that life would simply continue on. Losing a parent - an anchor - meant that life as you knew it would be ending. Every day from that point on would be unrecognizably different from every other one that came before it. "I wish I could say I understand," she said, leaning into him once more, "but I can't."

"Hopefully you'll never be in a position where you can," he said.

A loaded silence descended upon them as neither knew quite where to steer the conversation next. It stretched on for a few minutes more, but gradually lost its edge. Unease was replaced with comfort as they both came to a silent, mutual agreement that sitting here as they were, both in each other's embrace, was maybe something that no longer needed anything else added to it. The pressure to discuss whatever had been growing between them had at long last been cast off, and this pleasant silence was the natural end. It felt very much like a finish line. They knew the next race was just around the corner, but that was a worry for further down the line.

* * *

As these things often have a habit of doing, their relaxation eventually came to an end as they began to discuss the gala that they were to be attending in a little over a day's time. The packing list they'd been provided with hadn't made any mention of making sure they brought something to wear should they be roped into attending a formal dance as the personal guests of one of the crime bosses, but neither of them could fault it for not anticipating such an unlikely scenario.

Luckily for them, a hotel of this caliber would never be known to be lacking in its selection of high end shopping. The kind of mammals that normally vacationed here weren't exactly the type to read price tags before indulging themselves, and the shop they found themselves in front of now reflected this school of thinking quite clearly. Outfits of all different kinds, and for all different types of mammals, were posed on mannequins throughout the store with a handful of sharply dressed attendants circling the displays like sharks trying to find their next sale. The salesmammals quickly abandoned the pair as their initial attempts to try and convince them into trying on a ludicrously expensive suit or dress didn't get anywhere. The fact that their answers to the 'how much does this cost' question were about as helpful as 'don't worry about it', both Nick and Judy decided it would be simpler to head to the far racks of the store where the more reasonably priced wares would be.

'Reasonable', in this scenario, being a completely relative term. Nick thumbed through an immaculately squared stack of dress shirts until he found a price tag that hadn't been tucked away. Thanks to the ZBI, he had more than enough to comfortably cover just about anything that the store had to offer aside from the bespoke services that they had been unsuccessfully offered. Financial means or not, the number on the tag was enough to make him wince. Surfing below the poverty line for as long as he had done had certainly colored his opinion of stores like this.

"Would he care if we showed up in our regular clothes?" Judy asked from somewhere a few racks over, apparently having just about as much luck as he was.

"Honestly? Probably not, but we'd stick out like a couple of sore thumbs," he called back, resuming his search for something that would be a lot easier to explain on an expense report, should he need to.

She huffed in annoyance, "You're probably right. We're going to be out of place already. Ugh, is there anything in this store that costs less than my rent?"

An employee overheard and walked past her with an upturned nose, apparently disgusted with her appointed place on the socioeconomic totem pole. This did very little to help her rapidly souring mood. Her face dropped alongside her ears, any further patience she had now completely expended. She abandoned her search and made her way over to Nick, his face etched with a growing expression of irritation as he failed to find anything suitable. She hooked a thumb at the exit as she grabbed him by the arm, finding him offering no resistance as they left.

"Well that was a bust," Nick said, still being lead by his partner as she made a beeline for the front desk. "Where are we headed next?"

She said nothing for the few more seconds it took to arrive at the desk. Quickly switching her internal switch from 'peeved' to 'pleasant', she greeted the concierge with a smile.

"Good afternoon," the slender male antelope behind the counter welcomed warmly with a slight bow of his head.

"Hi! Hello, yes," she started, her current mood coming across as clearly manufactured to Nick, but doing a passable job of appearing genuine to anyone who wouldn't have known her as well as he did. "We've just been invited to a banquet tomorrow evening that we weren't expecting, and don't have anything to wear," she explained, her head tilting from one side to the other halfway through her sentence. "Is there anywhere close by we could get something... appropriate?"

He nodded, his smile unwavering. "Of course. I would recommend _Première Nuit_ ," he said, his voice adopting a heavy accent as he pronounced the name, "first and foremost. Their selection is unparalleled for on-premise shopping."

"Would that happen to be the shop around the corner, there?" she asked with a motion of her hand, which was answered with a nod from the concierge. "We've already tried there, unfortunately," she continued, careful to sound just the right amount of disappointed. "We're both here on behalf of a non-profit-"

Nick's ears perked, but he was quick to reign it back in. He started to watch her with a little more interest as she kept on.

"-and us getting something from their probably wouldn't send the right message if word got out. Is there anywhere a little more..." she rolled her hands through the air, "...price conscious?"

"Ah, yes. There is a duty-free located on the western side of the hotel," he said, gesturing with two fingers over his right shoulder. "We play host to a number of foreign dignitaries who use it to fill a particular hole in their wardrobe. I'm sure it's purpose will suit you both well," he finished with another smile, the high-and-mighty attitude from the salesmammals earlier completely absent.

She thanked him politely before setting off, her partner in tow.

"'Non-profit', eh?" Nick asked, unable to hide his smile.

"Hush. Not a complete lie," she defended. "The ZBI is a tax funded agency that publishes all of its expenses in the public record every year. That's close enough for me."

"Keeping the whole 'cop' thing low key is probably a good idea," he said. "Should we decide what non-profit we're here for, just in case?"

Judy shook her head. "It shouldn't be a problem. If anyone important enough for a real answer asks, we'll just tell the truth. Nobody else needs to know."

Nick shrugged. "Works for me."

It was only a few short minutes later that they made it to the duty-free shopping section of the hotel. The store was larger than the one they'd been in previously, but it's more varied selection of items for sale came at the detriment of clothing choices. From what they could see, there were only a handful of displays set up in their sizes.

They split up to start their own respective searches, and Nick hit pay-dirt almost immediately. It was a suit jacket and dress shirt tied up as a bundle with a little white ribbon. The only thing missing now were the pants and tie, which shouldn't be too much of an issue to find. It had been a good number of years since he'd had to dress up to any level higher than what he normally wore out and about, and he had to admit that the prospect of getting decked to the nines certainly carried with it a charm that he was looking forward to. He tried to count back in his head exactly how long it had been since his last outing like this, but found he couldn't place it. He'd have to give Eddie another visit here soon so they could reminisce about some of the old jobs they'd done together, as those were the only times where he had to dress up that immediately sprang to mind. A quick pang of guilt struck him as he thought of the way he and his old friend had parted ways all those years ago. They had some long overdue catching up to do, that was for sure, and he resolved to make sure he would work on mending that bridge sooner rather than later. He brought his attention back to the present as he looped around the racks to find his partner.

"Any luck?" He asked as he stopped alongside her.

She turned to face him, her smile answering for her before her words could. "What do you think?" She asked, holding a full-length purple dress up to herself, bits of plastic still clinging to its edges. "I still need to try it on to make sure, but I doubt I'll find anything better." She cocked her head towards the bundle beneath his arm. "What'd you find?"

"Just a shirt and jacket, still need a bit more to round it out. Go try on your dress and I'll see what I can find."

* * *

So it was a few minutes later that Judy found herself guided to one of the dressing rooms by one of the employees. The door clicked shut behind her, and she quickly dressed down before pulling all the lingering bits of plastic and packaging from the dress she'd chosen.

The dress slipped on without issue, the non-cooperative zipper on the back notwithstanding. She could always have Nick help her with it tomorrow if it gave her too much trouble.

Quickly jumping ship from the brazen nature of that last thought, she turned this way and that in the mirror trying to see herself from as many angles as she could. There was a large split up the right side that ended slightly above the midpoint of her thigh, certainly more risque than anything she'd ever worn before. She did a quick twirl, paying careful attention to how the fabric landed when she stopped. With as high as that split went she didn't want there to be any - she balked at the thought - _malfunctions_ while wearing it. The only true saving grace was that at least the neckline wasn't anything too crazy, as that would've probably been enough for her to justify not getting it. She'd never been one for fancy dresses like this one, but she couldn't help but admit that the thought of wearing it excited her. It wasn't so much that she was completely averse to the idea as much as it was that she simply never had a need to. Her life before coming to Zootopia was one of practicality, where jeans and flannel reigned supreme for everything from a day at church to a day in the fields. Utilitarian, yet not unflattering.

Her thoughts flitted towards wondering what Nick would think. Come to think of it, she didn't think he'd ever seen her in anything fancier than her ZPD dress blues, and even then only a handful of times. Every other time they met up it was either in uniform for a shift, or comfortably casual. First time for everything, she supposed.

With one final once over of herself, she stepped out of the fitting room to get her partners opinion.

The sound of the door unlatching drew Nick's attention away from his phone, which he damn near dropped when his partner stepped out.

"So what do you think?" She asked cheerily, his expression already telling her everything she needed to know. Where she expected to feel shy, she instead felt the first unfamiliar trappings of pride as he found it impossible to look anywhere in the room but directly at her. She gave a slow turn, letting him see the dress - and by extension _her_ \- from every angle.

Nick gestured uncertainly towards the fitting room. "You wouldn't happen to have seen another bunny in there, would you? 'Bout your height, dresses kind of mousey?"

"Jerk," she said with a good natured smile. "T-shirt and jeans are comfy and practical. Besides, I've never heard you complaining." Where that last part had come from, she would never know. She'd said it, though, and that was that. If there was one thing this week was teaching her, it was that not acting had just as many consequences as acting did, so it was probably for the better that it had slipped out. It was a type of daring she'd never been before, so why not start now?

"Hear hear," he agreed, happy that they were on the same page in that regard.

"Sooooo…?" She baited again, giving her eyelashes an uncharacteristic flutter. Truly a day of firsts for her, she mused.

Nick blinked twice before coming back around. "You look great! Though if you were going for the 'blending in' look, I think you missed the mark a bit."

Judy looked down at herself and gave the front of her dress a quick couple of swipes to shoo away a patch of lint. "I know, but if anything it's probably better to err on the side of overdressed for this. Wouldn't want anyone there to think we're being disrespectful."

"If this thing is anything like I'm expecting, 'garish' would probably be too kind of a word for most of the mammals we'll see."

She eyed the bag he was holding with a raised brow. "Find everything else you needed?"

"Yep!" He held the bag up, smaller than she would have expected for a full outfit. "This is just the tie and another T-shirt I found. Everything else is being tailored and will be ready tomorrow morning."

"You had time for someone to take your measurements? I wasn't in there _that_ long, was I?" She asked sheepishly.

"Nah, they were really quick about it. Seems like something they do all the time here." He gave his back pocket a quick pat. "They gave me a little card and said they'd give our room a call when it's all done."

Relief flashed across her face. "Good. Then, in that case, what's next?"

* * *

Judy locked the deadbolt to their room door as it swung shut behind her, having to give a little hop to get out of its way. "Movie?"

Nick stepped past her and set about folding the bed back into a couch. "Sure. Last one, though, then there are a few different places I want to check out here."

She flopped down onto the couch after he replaced the cushion, and was joined shortly by her partner. She found it funny how they could go from being as they were in the park to now leaving a respectable amount of room between each other on the couch now. Truthfully, there was a part of her that was glad for it, as it let her keep her thoughts clearer than if they had been in any sort of embrace.

She'd been doing far too much thinking for this to have felt like any sort of vacation, but it was all thinking that needed to be done. Unfortunately, almost all of it had been circular, sending her into a loop of why, why not, and what now that had her head spinning. The park had been the first true step either of them had made in what felt like the right direction, but it was still only that first step. There was still a long, _long_ way to go, and as idyllic as their little foray into the central park had been, she still had a few niggling concerns that she had really been hoping would sort themselves out by now. They were small worries in the grand scheme of things, but they were still worries nonetheless that would certainly grow if left to their own.

"Is this really such a good idea? Us?" Her question came completely out of the blue, not quite in the tone she'd intended. Nick gave a little jerk as he turned her way, as though he'd just been shocked. She quickly waved her hands about in front of her, appalled at hearing her own words and how they hadn't even come out remotely close to how she meant them to. "I mean, I think it's a great idea! What I meant is…" She gave a frustrated sigh, reshuffling the mental note-cards she'd prepared. "I guess I'm just wanting to make sure this is a good idea _right now,"_ she stressed. _"_ What with the investigation and all I just want to make sure we aren't… rushing things?"

Nick visibly relaxed, his shoulders falling back into a more natural position. "I don't think I would have been able to keep it all together for the whole week. With as long as I've been holding all of this in, Fluff, I don't think this is rushing it at all."

"How long?"

Nick squinted at the ceiling trying to remember when it had all started for him. There were so many moments that he thought he could pin a solid 'start' date on, but every time he settled on one, a day they'd shared even further back would spring to mind. Back then he'd thought it was just a passing attraction. A juvenile crush that he'd outgrow as time stretched on, as had happened to him so many times before. He'd thought - or perhaps hoped - that more and more reasons why it would never work out between them would make themselves apparent the longer they worked together. A fox and a rabbit pair was already a crack happenstance that he couldn't think of another example of off hand, not to mention the enormous canyon that divided their personalities and upbringings. She was a beacon of light and hope; a real ray of sunshine wherever she went trying to do her best. He was a con-mammal that had been perfectly content with homelessness and dumpster-dived dinners as he skirted the law up until an embarrassingly short time ago. He didn't deser- "Little less than a year." The words came out abruptly as he used them to hack his own internal monologue short. Whether it was correct or not, this was neither the time nor the place for deprecating self-reflection.

Judy nodded slowly. It was all so obvious in retrospect that she was almost embarrassed to look at how much she'd missed or misattributed. All those walks in the park, dinners, movie nights; she'd never given any thought to taking any of it at more than face value, and it honestly surprised her that Nick had kept up any interest for as long as he had with her missing as many signals as she had. Well, missing _all_ of the signals as the case had it. Every single one. For almost a year. Ugh.

Realization was a cruel thing. "We've been on a _lot_ of dates, haven't we?"

Nick tried unsuccessfully to hide a snort of laughter at the flatness of her question. "Afraid so."

Judy's palm met her face as she looked back at all they had done. They'd been doing 'date things' for almost as long as they'd known each other, it had just taken her until now to realize it. Would anything really be that different between them if they were to put a label to what they were? She doubted it. Part of her wanted to go find their waitress and give her a hug, but their was another part of her still angry about her meddling assumptions, ultimately correct or not. Would she have ever realized on her own? She liked to think she was pretty sharp, but it taking a complete stranger to point out everything she was missing knocked her self image down a few pegs.

Nick kicked his legs out and rest them on the coffee table. The thousand pound cloud that had been hovering over them both was showing the first signs of lifting. The mutual awkwardness and uncertainty was still very much present, but it was becoming comfortably familiar. Instead of building even thicker every waking moment as it had been doing, the tension between them was holding steady. It gave them both time to catalogue and analyze what had up until now been a completely foreign concept. It was amazing how much knowing made a difference.

Judy closed the space between them on the couch and leaned back into his side, picking up where they'd left off in the park. There was no pretense of trying to stay warm this time, she just wanted to be close to him. It was incredible how loudly the voices in her head were screaming at her to latch onto him and never let go, so she figured this was an acceptable compromise, at least for now.

Nick lifted his arm and draped it around her, eliciting a small sigh of contentment from her as the weight of it drew her even nearer. "Gotta say, this is not how I expected this week to go."

"Oh? And how _did_ you expect it to go?" She probed playfully.

"Less cuddling on the couch and _waaay_ more time spent alone in the arcade trying to keep my head on straight." He paused. "Which we still need to go to, by the way."

The arcade did sound fun, even if it had never been a particular favorite hangout of hers in the past. Maybe some different company would be enough to make a difference? "We'll have some time to kill tomorrow before the gala, so you _might_ be able to convince me to tag along."

Nick smiled as a comfortable silence descended once more, and Judy couldn't help but think back to everything that they had done over the time that they'd known each other. From the day they'd first met - which was now legendary at the ZPD - to the litany of cases they'd been instrumental in solving over the next year and a bit to come. A few standout moments, such as the whole 'Polecat' debacle, stood out brighter than the rest, but barely a week had gone by where they weren't doing something together.

That was all in the professional sense, though. It was no secret that she hadn't been the most social of mammals when she'd first started working in the city. Nick wasn't only her first partner at the ZPD, but also her first friend.

In between the beats of the standout moments they shared together were smaller, more personal ones. Everything from a walk in the park after work to seeing a movie on a shared day off, they all added up to form something beautifully shared. She'd never expected some of her happiest memories to have been formed the way they had, but almost every single day brought with it something new and unexpected that was sure to stay with her forever. The lion's share of these, of course, stemming from the fox she was laid into, her hand flush against his chest.

So much, for so long, yet it suddenly struck her that one thing had yet to be shared between them. She tried to dismiss it at first, but quickly abandoned that venture, having well and truly learned her lesson when it came to ignoring her own thoughts. It wasn't a secret she needed an answer to this time, as she felt most of those - all the important ones anyway - had long since been revealed. No, this time it was something a little more straightforward that she had to do. Damn the torpedoes.

"Hey, Nick?"

"Hmm?"

And then she kissed him.

No fanfare, no build up, and completely without the worries that had saturated the past few days. It was a simple kiss that simply had to be. In hindsight, it was the only way that it could have ever possibly happened.

Nick blinked back at her a couple of times once the kiss broke, a tender, caring smile saying everything that he needed to. He briefly squeezed her tighter before turning his attention back to the tv, which she did herself shortly after. He thought back to an offhand comment she had made a few days ago when they were sharing coffee in Tundratown. It had been a slip of the tongue at the time when she'd referred to everyone else in the shop as the "other couples", but it still stuck out to him. By all rights they should have been an impossibility. They _were_ an impossibility, he corrected, which made looking back and realizing the hilarious inevitability of it all that much more entertaining.

"There's no way this week _wouldn't_ have turned out like this, is there?" Nick's words came out more as a flat statement than a question, already confident he knew the answer. He felt her nod against his chest. "So, how'd you do it?"

She lifted her head off of him to meet his eyes. "I'm sorry?"

"How'd you do it?" He repeated. "I've tried so hard for so long to block everyone out, so why on earth did I let you in?"

Judy's ears fell. "You say it like it's a bad thing. I think you've wanted to let someone in for a long time, but maybe didn't know how. You're a good mammal, Nick. It just took a little while for you to realize."

Nick snorted. "Me? A good mammal?"

She bopped him on the nose, cutting his thoughts off before they could derail too far. "No," she chastised teasingly. "Bad fox." She glared at him for a moment before continuing, her voice softening. "You _are_ a good mammal. You've done a lot of good for this city."

"Lot of bad, too," he tacked on. "Still probably weighs a bit more on the 'bad' side if you tally it all up."

She batted patronizingly at his muzzle again, but had to quickly withdraw her hand to avoid it getting nipped as he snapped playfully at her.

"Whether or not you _or_ the city realize it doesn't change it." Her eyes fluttered down. "You've done a lot for me, too."

"For you?"

"So is it your turn to play the 'pretending like you didn't understand' card now?" She teased.

He nodded, his expression taking a mischievous turn. "Also my turn to do this."

Before she could ask what he meant, he bopped her squarely on the nose. It didn't hurt, not even a little, but the shock of it sent her reeling backwards with a shake of her head. Her overreaction, coupled with the twitching that her nose started when she steadied, sent Nick into a fit of giggles.

"Oh, is that what we're gonna do, then?" She asked, her voice taking a dangerous edge.

Nick turned his head up, a finger tapping at the side of his muzzle in thought. "Y'see, normally I'd do the whole 'is that what we're gonna do? Yes, yes it is' thing. But in this case-"

He was abruptly cut off as she lunged towards him, pinning him on his back. Once she was on top of him, though, she didn't quite know what to do next.

That split second of hesitation was all he needed. "Oh no you don't!" Nick leveraged himself against the back of the couch and spun them both around so that he came out on top. Before he could let her try and get the upper hand again, he started nibbling at her midsection in a way that was absolutely _infuriatingly_ ticklish, sending her into a fit of laughter that had her gasping for air.

"Give up?" He asked between attacks, not stopping long enough to allow her to fully catch her breath.

"Never!" She cried. She somehow gathered the willpower to pull both of her legs up close to her and kicked her assailant off, sending him tumbling backwards to the other side of the couch. Nick thought the size difference between them would give him the upper hand, but unfortunately for him she was both tiny _and_ willing to kick his ass. She lunged at him, knocking him back against the armrest. Not making the same mistake twice, she immediately set upon him with an attack of her own, digging her fingers into his sides. "I've got you now!"

She kept up the attack for as long as she felt he deserved, before taking herself off of him and declaring herself the victor.

Nick propped himself up on his elbows, still panting as he fought to gain control back over his breathing. Before she could scoot any further away from him, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back down.

Laying partially on top of him, with her side pressed up against the back of the couch, she let out a satisfied sigh as she rest her head on top of his still rapidly rising and falling chest. She tensed slightly as her partner's arm landed to rest on her hip. She halfway expected him to tickle her again, but found her concern wash away into contentment as he allowed it to simply lay there.

"Why did I let you in so easily?" His question repeating itself from earlier.

"I think that's a question only you can answer." She took a few moments to take in the sound of his breathing steadying. "So, why did you? What makes this 'dumb country bunny' so special?"

Nick blinked as his thoughts once again moved inwards. He drew another sigh from his partner as he absently traced his fingers lightly up and down her back.

Why did he let her in? He didn't have an answer for that, and he doubted he ever would. Like he'd reasoned earlier, there was no way that they should work as well together as they do, and, as circular as the logic was, that was his best guess right now as to why they did. Night and day. Yin and yang. Fox and rabbit.

But that wasn't quite right either, was it? It was close, of course, but the . The old adage 'opposites attract' certainly rang true, but it went deeper than that. They weren't opposites, but complements. While their differences in personalities certainly clashed for a short while after they met, they'd somehow stumbled into a way of making everything fit together as though they were tailor made for each other. Not fire and ice, but instead forge and quench. They both strengthened each other in ways they could never have hoped to achieve on their own, and everything was better for it.

Instead of answering her, he let his head fall back to stare at the ceiling with a contented smile on his face.

Judy was having none of that, though. "Oh no you don't," she prodded, tilting his head back towards hers. She didn't know what it was that made the answer to this question so important to her, but that didn't change the fact that it was. Maybe she just wanted proof that he had at least given this a little thought. This was a big step, and for once just barging in guns blazing was maybe not the best course of action. "Why me?"

Nick held her gaze for a moment before planting another quick kiss on her muzzle, which she happily returned. That is, before bopping him on the nose again.

"Nuh uh, not going to distract me."

"Wasn't trying to. Just really wanted to do that." His head fell back once more, and Judy didn't do anything this time to try and prevent it. He took a deep breath, surprised that his thoughts were, for the first time in a long time, starting to clear.

Starting to clear was still very much different than clear, though. "I don't have an answer for you," he started quietly. "I mean, I _have_ an answer, it just isn't… words. It isn't a words answer."

Judy snorted. "A words answer? Honestly?" She raised a hand up and held it in front of Nick's nose. "Do I need to hit you again?"

Smiling, Nick put both of his hands on her waist and pulled her further up him until they were face to face. He snaked one of his hands up her back and then rest it, ever so gently, at the base of her neck.

It was the second time in just as many days that Nick's eyes had given her the answers she needed. Weakness. Uncertainty. Hope.

Most importantly of all, and what ultimately answered her question as to why he'd allowed her in, was trust. Unflinching, unmoving, complete and total. To have lived a life as defined by loneliness as he had, bracketed by tragedy, trust was one of the basest traits that Nick had all but completely severed ties to. But here it was, completely unmistakable.

The pressure at the base of her neck increased slightly as Nick coaxed her closer.

Heads tilted, lips parted, and the distance between them slowly shrank to nothing.

Nothing would change, but everything would be different.

 _ **Author's Note:**_ _So I debated splitting this up into two chapters, or shit, maybe even three now that I look back over it holy cow this one went all over the place_ _dinnit? I probably_ should _have split it up and spaced it out a couple weeks between or whatever to try and trick you guys into thinking I have some sort of a reasonable update schedule or something, but nah. Anyways, this type of chapter has been done to death in the fandom, so I can only hope that I did it the justice that it deserves. They're finally a thing, dammit, and the rest of the week can be spent testing the boundaries of their new relationship. Or maybe secret undercover police stuff will get in the way and fuck everything up. Who knows. I mean,_ I _know, but you don't know, y'know? Yeah._

 _Also, if me uploading this goes like the last three times I've put up a new chapter, ShippingMammals will update his story tomorrow and steal all my thunder. Again. (Have your people call my people, I'd love to chat.)_

 _I love all of you. (even you, Shipping. Even you.)_

 _Stay tuned._


	10. Perfect

Chapter 10 - Perfect

A number of minutes had passed since their last kiss had communicated the incommunicable, with them now content to simply continue lying where they were. Judy had draped herself atop him, a hand resting on his chest as her thumb moved back and forth across the front of his shirt. She would have greatly preferred there to have been nothing between her and his fur, but she would take what she could get at the present moment. So much had developed between them in such a short amount of time that perhaps letting any further developments progress slowly and in their own time wasn't such a bad idea.

Complete comfort in the presence of someone else was a completely new situation to find herself in, and probing through the litany of new and unusual emotions that were brought to the forefront because of this had left her with much to think about and little to say, and so it was that they found themselves in amicable silence once more.

Nick, for his part, was still trying to convince himself that he wasn't dreaming. He'd pinch himself, but that would mean moving his hand off of her waist, and that was a sacrifice that he just wasn't willing to make right now.

Would things be ok in the future once they left the hotel and had to go back to real life? That was a question that honestly didn't need an answer right now. Nick's life had taught him to live in the present, and that was exactly what he intended to do. The end of the week and the days that were immediately to follow it were sure to bring their own troubles and worries with regards to their new status, but those obstacles could be tackled and overcome each in their own kind. He had one hell of a partner to rely upon, after all, and she'd never let him down before. She had never been the type to give up, even when he had.

Nick moved his head to rest his chin on top of her head, an act that they had both come to like in the same short amount of time. A list of everything they had left to do before the gala began to make its way unbidden through his mind, and he knew they should start working on it sooner rather than later. A few more minutes of relaxation and then they would need to be off. There was very little they still had left to procure, but a quick scouting of the ball room and surrounding areas would certainly be a good idea. Not to mention trying to pick out any faces that matched the ZBI dossiers they'd been given in order to get a rough idea of who all they'd be dealing with.

A gentle snore pumped the brakes on his train of thought.

Judy had fallen asleep nestled against his chest, her head rising and falling with each breath he took. Well, there went any plans he had of getting up within the next few minutes. She looked so peaceful, with her mouth parted just so and her hand loosely grasping a fold in his shirt. He gently folded one of her ears back flush, and she didn't so much as stir. It had been a long time since he'd seen her this… he couldn't find the right word.

With Judy, it was less a matter of being awake and asleep, and more like being switched off and on _._ Always thinking, doing, or getting ready to do some thinking or doing during every waking hour. Even when they were out spending a day off together she would always be running this idea or that by him to see what he thought, or trying to figure out just that little bit more about what made him tick.

He laughed, quickly catching himself before he could make too much noise. They'd been on a _lot_ of dates.

If awake meant on, then he realized he'd never seen her in her _off_ position until now, and it was… odd. She was normally such a ball of brightness and energy that it was almost jarring to see her so still and quiet, not to mention so very, very vulnerable.

The dichotomy of their two species once again reared its head to him, but this time for a reason other than to just cast doubt. Nick knew what he was - perhaps more importantly, what he _used_ to be - and to see that she was comfortable enough to allow herself to become so vulnerable in such close proximity spoke volumes. He knew it was a silly thought, especially after this most recent development in their _partnership_ , but the thought was nonetheless still there. He still had a long way to go before he thought of himself as anything worthy of the level of trust that she showed him. Hell, he had a long way to go before he thought he was worthy of _anything_ that she showed or thought of him.

That little niggling voice in the back of his head kindly let him know that he'd been avoiding the word 'relationship' like the plague for the past few days. That was what they were now, wasn't it? He couldn't tell if his hesitance to use the word stemmed more from a fear of what that represented, or if it just meant that he couldn't bring himself to believe it and that using the word would somehow shatter whatever illusion he was part of. Whichever it actually was, it felt a lot more like the latter. It was true that it had been a long time since he'd been in any sort of a relationship, and it was also true that the last couple he'd found himself in had left him in a state that could best be described as 'damaged', but that didn't mean that he was entirely opposed to the idea. The concept of a relationship, at least in the way that he thought relationships should work, was appealing.

He laughed again. That last line of thought sounded a _lot_ like something Judy would think up. The little bunny curled up against him was affecting him in more and more ways, it seemed, and there wasn't a single part of him that felt that was a bad thing. Surfing the day to day ebb and flow of his own self-hatred was the only thing that had kept him moving forwards for a number of years, and to suddenly have that replaced with something that was dangerously close to resembling self respect? He'd resigned himself to the fact that it would never happen in a million years, yet here he was. Here _they_ were.

They were… something, certainly. Were they a relationship? He would say that he hoped they were, but he knew that continuing on in that same roundabout way of thinking was silly. Of course they were in a relationship. An actual, honest to God, bona-fide relationship. The thought made him giddy. Instead of jumping up and down in childlike joy like he wanted to, he settled for holding Judy closer to him, wrapping both of his arms fully around her and pulling her even closer. She offered no resistance, but her lips did curl into a smile as one of her eyes opened.

"Afraid I might try to get up?" She asked, resting her chin on his chest as she looked up at him.

"You're not going _anywhere_ ," he nipped back playfully, tightening his grip around her.

"Good." She smiled before nuzzling her cheek back into his chest. "We should probably start thinking about food, though," she added after a few moments. "I know you have to be getting hungry."

Realizing he left his phone on the coffee table in front of them, Nick slipped his hand into Judy's back pocket and pulled out hers. "Holy cow, it's already noon? How did that happen?" He felt her shrug her shoulders against him. "Shouldn't that guy with the coffee machine be up soon, then?"

"Probably," she answered, propping herself up with crossed arms on his chest. They were nose to nose, a position she quickly took advantage of by capturing him with another kiss. It was all still so alien to her, but it felt _right_. Never in a million years did she ever expect anything like this to happen, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to take full advantage of their newfound situation. She still felt as though a few things needed to be worked out - a feeling which Nick shared - but for the first time she felt it could safely be put off until later. No sense worrying about anything right now. The whirlwind of unknowns that had dominated her thoughts for the last week were all slowly subsiding, leaving enough room for her to start feeling things out on her own instead of worrying about them.

The kiss finally broke, and Judy let out a long, contented sigh as she settled back into his chest. "What are you in the mood for?"

 _Bunny_ was quickly an answer he deemed inappropriate, so he settled on a shrug. "We could go back to that place right off of the lobby again," he offered with nothing else immediately springing to mind.

Judy's hand met her face. "I _really_ don't want to see that waitress again," she said with a groan, still unsure about how she stood in regards to the first mammal to put a voice to her inner turmoil.

* * *

"So how did you and Finnick meet?"

Nick took a final sip of his water, setting the now empty glass down before answering. "We both worked at a fast food place called _Chez Cheese_ right after highschool. If I remember right," Nick continued, carefully thinking back, "the very first time we ever met he threw a fryer basket at me and told me to _'stop moving so fucking slow'."_ He chuckled, clapping his hands together once. "Instant friends."

Judy shook her head with an unsurprised smile. "Sounds about right." Despite the fact her interactions with the diminutive fox had been brief, she'd picked up a pretty good idea about how he carried himself. When she'd gone to find him shortly after to returning to the city in search of Nick, him answering her knocks with a baseball bat primed and ready to crack skulls like it was just another tuesday told her all she needed to know. "How did y'all start… hustling? Is that the right word?"

Nick nodded with a conversational smile, happy that she seemed to be asking questions to get to know him instead of grilling him about past questionable activities. While he wasn't exactly proud of his past escapades as a whole, there were little bits and pieces here and there that he couldn't help but feel pleased with how things had gone. It was funny in that same way that a lot of things this last week had been funny; he'd hoped he'd never have to recount anything he did to a police officer, yet here he was, hoping the one sitting across from him would never stop asking. The fact that he himself was also a police officer didn't count towards this particular absurdity, but instead occupied a number of others all its own.

He let out a breath, remembering their 'humble beginnings' with what he hoped wasn't too much fondness or nostalgia. "Started out simple enough, I guess. We were both on break and headed to the corner store to grab cigarettes-"

Judy interrupted him with a disapproving glare.

"-I know, I know. I'm sure I'll get the 'smoking is bad' lecture later. Don't worry, quit years ago anyway. Anyway, we got the bright idea that we could start turning a profit if we started selling loosies under the table at the restaurant."

"Loosies?"

"One or two for like a buck instead of having to buy the whole pack," he explained. "This was at the start of all the crazy tax hikes, and mammals weren't too keen on paying an arm and a leg when they needed a fix. Jokes on them, though. Our prices evened out to costing more than just buying a pack outright." He was about to continue on, but his ears drooped as he realized the next part probably wouldn't be as smoothly received. "The next part was Finn's idea. At least, I'm going to say it was Finn's idea and you will never know otherwise."

"Mhmm hmm," she hummed skeptically.

"If you know your Zootopia history, which of course you do, you know that with the hike in taxes _also_ came with a hike in the smoking age. Aaaand that look tells me you already know where I'm going with this."

"You sold cigarettes to _kids?_ "

"Of course not!" He quickly defended. "We sold happy meals that just happened to have a couple of cigarettes at the bottom of the bag. We uhh…" He was beginning to falter under the rapidly heating glare of his partner that told him his explanation was in no way improving his situation. "...we called it 'extra fries'."

Intense. Prolonged. Eye. Contact.

"If it makes you feel any better we were fired for it about four months later…"

"Little bit," she responded flatly, before noticing that he was still having trouble meeting her eyes. "And what tells me that there's a 'but' hiding at the end of that sentence somewhere?"

"... _but_ the owner of the shop fired us because he wanted to take over the profits of it himself."

Her face fell flat into her hands. Nick heard her mumbling something about _'this damn city'_ before she quickly wiped her face back into neutral.

"So y'all decided to stick together after you were fired?"

"Yep," he replied, relieved that the heat was momentarily off of him. He knew it'd be back, though, _especially_ if she ever got him to recount the deals he cut with… not important. Not important at all. Moving on. "Our first act as 'freelance' hustlers," he bracketed the word in finger-quotes, ignoring Judy as she helpfully supplied 'unemployed', "was to call the cops on the place for selling cigs without a license to minors. Naturally we camped the parking lot in Finn's new van and tossed business cards in all the cars with high school parking stickers on them."

"You are absolutely unbelievable," she said, unable to hide a smile at his audacity.

He shrugged. "Couldn't pass up a business opportunity. We 'set up shop' outside high school football games for the next year or so selling whatever they were looking to buy: cigarettes, beer, counterfeit tickets, we even dabbled in the even-less-legal for a while."

"You were drug dealers." What surprised her more than his admission was her lack of reaction to it.

"Like I said, only for a bit. Didn't suit us. Margins weren't big enough."

Judy shook her head. "The only thing that kept you from peddling drugs was the profit margin?" She didn't quite like the sound of that, or the implications that it held. She found herself thinking back to a conversation they'd had a few days ago about how there were a few things he'd done that he _really_ wasn't proud of, and she couldn't help but start wondering what he'd meant by that. She understood that life had been tough on the fox, but surely he had to have drawn a line somewhere, right? Even if there had in fact been some sort of moral line somewhere, would that make it better? Would she want to know where that line was? Once again, Nick's infuriating ability to answer one question of hers by raising a half dozen more was in full display. "Did you ever do anything _really_ illegal?"

Nick was about to feign ignorance to what she meant by 'really' illegal, but she was quick to cut him off.

"And you know exactly what I mean, so don't even try it."

His defense died on his lips. Instead, somewhat worryingly, it was slowly replaced by a smile. "I'll tell you," he began, measuring her reaction, "but I'm going to go ahead and use my 'once per day' on that one," he said smugly. His satisfaction was only heightened as realization slowly dawned and her face contorted into all manner of unpleasantness.

She flicked a pea off of her plate towards him, which bounced off of his nose as he weakly tried to guard against it. "Absolutely not fair," she groused.

"Absolutely is fair," he countered. "Haven't used a single one of those yet. Figured it was about time to make you sweat."

Judy, however, had a plan prepared all her own. She hadn't intended to abuse and use his own policy against him, but him using his single daily grace just to tease her kept her from feeling too bad about it. "You're right, it is fair. Your one single question for the day that you're free to dodge." She stressed a few key words in her sentence, making absolutely sure her intentions were clear.

Nick quickly picked up on her change in demeanor, her smile setting off all kinds of alarm bells.

A few of the questions she wanted to ask were sure to affect her as much as they were him, so she decided to keep those in the bank for the time being. Anything pertaining to their budding relationship would be kept in the holster for later use, but that left her plenty of ammunition to, using his own words, 'make him sweat'. First, however, she may as well use it to force him to help clear the air.

"Is this a date?"

"Yep," he chipped happily, not missing a beat. "First one, the way I see it."

She expected him to hesitate at least a little bit before answering, but that was perhaps her own nerves speaking. If she were to honestly examine herself, she was probably handling their newfound status with far less grace than he was. Look at her, the power to get an answer to anything she wanted, and she was using it to make him answer what she was too scared to answer on her own.

"That was a softball. Come on, ask me something _real,_ " he teased with a wiggle of his fingers. Might as well play it up a bit if he's already doomed.

The problem she found herself facing now was figuring out what questions she actually wanted answers to. A few of the things that immediately sprang to mind were things that were probably better left unasked, but she found herself drifting back to them regardless. He wanted something a little harder? Alright then. Polite dinner conversation be damned; he brought this on himself.

"Do you like being a fox?" The question was out before she could stop herself. Ever since he'd told her what it had been like growing up in the city as he had and when he had, she'd found herself wondering. She could tell there was at least some level of resentment buried beneath his skin, and she aimed to find out where it stemmed from. Was the city the root of his troubles? Was it other mammals? Was it himself?"

He let a breath pass through pursed lips, his eyebrows raising as he regarded the bunny sat opposite him. "Wow, alright. That _is_ a meaty one."

"Sorry if its too much," she quickly moved to apologize, but steeled herself once again, "but you _did_ ask for it."

His laughter momentarily eased her worry. "You got me there." He drummed his fingers back and forth on the table, trying to formulate something that resembled a coherent answer. It struck him that it was a question he'd never gone to the trouble of answering for his own uses. "Do I like being a fox…" he parroted, working the words back and forth in his mind. A few more moments of silence stretched on between them. "Y'know, if you'd asked me that ten years ago I would have said yes, absolutely, one hundred percent."

"But now?" She prompted.

"Ten years before that and there wasn't much I wouldn't have done to be anything else," he continued. Judy held her tongue, realizing that he was working this out for himself as much as he was for her.

The seconds stretched on. Mammals continued to mill about the restaurant around them, with waiters skipping from one table to the next as they made sure everything met the expectations one would rightfully have of a place such as this. It had all long since faded into static.

"Now? I…" he sighed deeply. "Honestly? Not too sure." He took another breath, shaking his head as his expression tightened. "No, that's not a good enough answer."

Judy maintained her silence. This had perhaps been the wrong question to ask. No putting that cat back into the bag, though.

"Do I like being a fox," He repeated again. His eyes met hers. "I guess I've gone back and forth on that a lot over the years. I used to hate it, like it was some sort of curse I inherited. The world had already set what I was going to be before I was even born, and there was nothing I could do about it. I was going to be a sneaky, conniving, no good con-mammal from the day I was born, and that was that. I could have tried to be something else, like my parents, but the only thing _that_ earned them was an early grave. It's like…" Another breath. "It's like the city hated them for trying to be different, and eventually decided enough was enough. Trying to be something you're not? In THIS city? Absolutely not. Not going to happen. Better snuff that out. Can't have that spot of optimism threatening to break everything."

Early life had left its scars on him, scars that would never properly heal. Like all things that time touches, though, they were slowly changed by the passage of simple existence. "I grew up real quick after they died, embraced what I was. If the city already knew what I was going to be, I was going to give it exactly what it wanted."

It mirrored a much earlier conversation they'd had shortly after they'd met. High above the streets of the rainforest district when he'd first let her see through the cracks in his many walls. The pieces that made up the puzzle of Nick Wilde were slowly beginning to order themselves.

"It was all well and good for a while," he continued, finding that the words were coming to him easier now. It was as though he'd had an answer buried, ready to be deployed for years and was just now getting to put it to use. "I was exactly what the city wanted me to be. Probably about five years before we met was when it started to sour a bit. I thought I was sticking it to the city by being what I was, but after a while I realized I was just going through the motions. I don't know where I'd be right now if we hadn't met. That isn't part of the answer, by the way," he smiled, "just felt like it needed to be said.

She nodded, accepting his admission, and bade him to continue.

"Do I like being a fox…" Another breath. Another pause. Another period of self reflection and revelation a long time coming. "I started hating it again, picking up right where I'd left off as a kid. I feel like maybe I wanted some sort of opportunity to prove that I could be more than what I was, but that's probably giving myself too much credit. I mean, who hasn't said ' _if only_ this _would happen, then I could prove who I really was. Or if_ this _happened, or_ this _or_ this _or_ this'... Truth was, I probably had plenty of opportunities to be better, but I either never noticed or chose not to notice." He'd willfully wasted any second chance he may have had at a young age. His third, fourth, fifth, and so on all meeting similar ends. Each one came and went without earning so much as a passing glance from him.

"Then you showed up and threatened me with tax evasion," he said with a smile. "You gave me an opportunity, just like the… damn, probably dozens of other opportunities I'd had over the years. Only difference was that you didn't give me a choice."

"Was that a… bad thing?"

He gently shook his head. "You made me be better. Anyway, straying a bit from the question… Do I like being a fox? I think I do. If I could go from being what I was to what I am now, despite the best efforts of the city and everybody in it, then anyone really can be anything." He let another gentle laugh escape him. "Sorry I don't have a better answer than 'I think so', but… I'd never really thought about it before. Do you like being a bunny?"

"Did I say you get to ask a question?" She teased.

"Too late."

It was her turn to take a breath. Her first instinct was to jump right to it and answer 'of course!' But that seemed woefully inadequate now after her partner's rather thorough non-answer-yet-somehow-still-an-answer.

So, self reflection? That's what was going to be happening today? The idea of seeing if she could use a once-per-day briefly flashed through her mind, but it was quickly discarded as she knew she would only be doing it to bother him. After the answer she'd received, he deserved nothing less than complete honesty.

One of the very first things she'd been forced to confront when she arrived in the city was that while the enormous breadth of diversity that it was home to brought with it an undeniable charm and air of overall cooperation it also meant that some things were naturally going to be out of reach for literally, but more often than not it meant being overlooked because of her size or species. Much as it had done with foxes, the city had long ago made up its mind as to what it wanted to view bunnies as, whether it was a true deduction or not was completely unimportant. It had been… difficult, at first. That much was certain.

Sometimes literally, as her small stature left her stranded when the city made certain accommodations for larger mammals, but more often than not it meant that she was overlooked in favor of those who were traditionally larger or more domineering. She'd still managed to carve out a niche for herself in the city, one that was now reluctant to give her up at that, but the path to it had been fraught with roadblock after roadblock. While well suited to the agricultural nature and tight quarters of the burrows, she found herself at first ill-equipped to make a smooth transition to city life, especially as a police officer. Her first assignment ever in the city, that of putzing around and handing out parking tickets, was indicative of the lack of trust her fellow officers had in her. Where they correct to have made so quick of assumptions of her based on nothing more than her species? Honestly, probably so. If she had carried with her the same drive and determination that she had when she first petitioned the academy for a spot in training as any other species than what she was, who knows what she would have been able to accomplish. She was successful in her dream _despite_ what she was, and in no way because of it. In some ways it was a bitter pill to swallow. Would she, if given the opportunity, have chosen to have been born as something else?

After a brief period of thought she concluded that no, no she would not have. She was able to inspire as much change and progress as she had because of all the obstacles that she had to overcome. She proved single handedly that her belief that anyone could be anything, while at first the product of youthful naivety, was as real as could be.

She nodded, giving Nick the answer he wanted. "Yeah, I like being a bunny."

Nick smirked. "Just gonna leave it at that?"

"Well I guess it's for a lot of the same reasons you said, right? Bunnies were always bunnies, but I got to be better. Not that there's anything wrong with being a bunny," she quickly clarified, unsure of how she was coming across. She wasn't trying to say that every other member of her species was sitting on some great reserve of wasted potential, but that she had willed herself into a position to do more despite the hand she was dealt. "Nothing wrong with living your whole life in the Burrows farming for yourself and your family, it's only that I wanted to do something different. There was never anybody in my corner rooting for me, did you know that?"

That fact surprised him. He'd always thought that she'd arrived in the city with the full love and support of the entire Tri-Burrows behind her. "Wait, nobody encouraged you?"

"Oh god no," she shook her head with a wan smile. "My parents, bless their hearts, always did everything they could to try and get me to settle down and live on the farm. All my siblings and friends, too. Heck, once word got out that I'd been accepted into the academy, it was like the entire town rallied together to get me to change my mind."

"Huh. So your folks weren't behind you wanting to be a cop?"

"Are you kidding?" She laughed. "If my parents had their way, I'd be on the next train out of the city. They… mean well, they could just only ever see a bunny for a bunny."

"Am I correct in assuming they would only ever see a fox for a fox, then?"

And there it was, the question she'd been hoping they'd avoid for as long as possible. She looked up at him, her eyes flashing uncertainly. "Well… Remember when I told you about Gideon?"

Nick thought back, trying to remember where she'd mentioned that name before. "Something about a fox bully that didn't count as a fox?"

"Right, right. He works with my parents now, out of a little bakery on the edge of the farm."

"He used to bully you, and now your parents give him space on the property to do his own thing? That sends a weird message."

"He's changed, though." She found herself quickly defending her childhood antagonizer. It almost surprised her, but she'd long since come to terms with it. "He… wanted to be better, so he did. Lot like me, I guess, just… closer to home. He's helped my parents, my dad especially, see that it's more important what a mammal looks like on the inside than the outside."

"But he bullied you?" Nick repeated, getting hung up on that fact.

"Bad home life, or something. I never did get the full story behind it. He wasn't just a bad egg. He had reasons for how he was, if you can imagine."

"And he just changed?"

"Is that so hard to believe? _You_ did," she smirked. "You don't have that market cornered like you think you do, Wilde."

He shrugged in a sort of 'you got me there' form of acceptance. He still couldn't help but feel like his was a special case, but that was probably giving himself too much credit. He'd have to revisit that avenue of thought at a later time.

"Back to my parents, though," she continued, drawing his attention back, "they used to _hate_ foxes. That fox repellent I had with me way back?"

Nick huffed, but his smile lingered long enough to let her know there were no hard feelings.

"Right," she groaned. "Dad's idea. He wanted me to take even more. I think Gideon showed them something they weren't expecting when he approached them for help with his bakery business." She'd have to sit down and catch up with the fox next time she was back in the burrows. He had a story that she'd love to have him fill in all the holes of.

"So you think your folks would like me?" He asked with a sarcastic lilt.

"I don't know," she began slowly, looking him up and down from across the table. He fluttered his eyelashes for good measure, which prompted another pea to be flicked at him. "Little rough around the edges."

"That's me," he interjected proudly.

"-But I think they'd come around."

"Good." He let out a breath. He leaned in closer, looking back and forth. "Because between you and me?" He waved his hand between them. "The concept of your parents terrifies me."

"Ha! They're not so bad."

"No, it's not that. It's just that you and all your… _you_ -ness came from somewhere, and the fact that the source for all that still exists out there scares the bejesus out of me."

A sideways half-smile raised-eyebrow combo that she had become very well accustomed to was the only response to that she could muster. "...We're going to slot that into the 'compliment' pile, right?"

"Absolutely."

She huffed. "What would your parents have thought about all this?" She held her hands up between them, confident that her meaning would come across.

"I think they would have liked you," he answered back, not wasting a beat as he found the groove of conversation once more. "Honestly don't even think the whole cop part would surprise them. I felt like they always expected me to do something good with my life."

True to his word, it turned out his parents weren't as sore a spot as she had expected, especially given his little incident earlier in the day. It came as a huge relief to her, as she felt getting to know them was an important part of getting to know him. Like how a sculpture can be more fully appreciated if you know the history of the artist. The streets and hardships of city life had completed the majority of the work on him, of course, but his parents laid a foundation that she was sure still existed.

"And being a cop would have been something they would have wanted you to do?"

"I mean, maybe not specifically, but something like that. I really don't know what they wanted me to do. Mom was a baker, dad was a tailor, neither really a glamorous profession, right?. They probably just wanted me to be better than them somehow. Isn't that a thing parents want? For their kids to do better than they did?"

Judy shrugged. "My parents just wanted someone to inherit the farm. 'Better' doesn't really exist in the Burrows. Just a lot of traditions to inherit. Wasn't I the one supposed to be asking questions?"

"Ask away," he goaded. "Keep giving me enough time to think of my own and you're gonna get yourself in trouble."

So this was to be their new relationship, then? Not too bad, all things considered. There were certainly making progress, but progress in what and to what end remained frustratingly unclear. The fact that this was their first 'official' date was not lost to either of them, but the air between them remained calm and clear. Judy, especially, had expected the outing to be nothing but tension and pent up feelings that had nowhere to go, but she was happy to find that the exact opposite held true. Spending time with Nick, even, and perhaps especially, with the veil of uncertainty between them beginning to lift, was as easy and carefree as any time that had come before it. It felt, beyond all other things, right _._ Comfortable uncertainty.

Speaking of clearing uncertainty, it surprised her that questions such as these had never come up earlier. It's not like they'd never had the time before, and this wasn't even their first 'date', so the fact that she knew so little about what made him _him_ was one she didn't quite know how to process. Admittedly, with how precariously their relationship had been balanced, the past few weeks especially, an unspoken agreement to not rock the boat was probably the best explanation. Though things had so far turned out for the better, making any sort of closer observation into what they were or wanted to be had been a dangerous endeavor. Questions, especially those of the like that she wanted to ask, were sure to turn over a few stones that couldn't be ignored.

Most prominent among the questions she wanted to ask was a new question which she felt _needed_ to be asked. Whether by her or him it didn't matter, only that it was answered. "So... about _us,_ " she began slowly, her thoughts barely outpacing her voice.

Nick's ears perked up, giving her his undivided attention once again.

"Would it be smarter to keep it only between us for a little while? Not that I'm ashamed or anything, God no. Other people would definitely get involved if we went public with it, and I'm just wondering if that's a good idea right now or not.

"Up to you. I don't have much of a reputation to ruin."

As much as it burned her up to admit, he had a point. Most of the city still saw Nick as nothing more than a fox, and while interspecies relationships weren't looked down upon in any real capacity, the simple issue of him being what he was worked against him in the public eye. He didn't have anyone he could upset or surprise by announcing a relationship; fellow officer, partner, or even a bunny, no one would pay him any notice.

She, on the other hand, had quite a lot that would almost certainly be impacted. She was already the focus of a large portion of public attention thanks to the numerous high profile cases she'd been involved with, the crown jewel of which being the Nighthowler ordeal. If it were to come out that she, the beacon of light and living banner of acceptance for the city, was romantically involved with a _fox_ of all mammals, who knows how it would be spun. She hated herself for having the thought, and found herself resenting the city that thoughts and conversation such as this were necessary.

She took a deep breath. "Sensibility says we should probably keep it own the down-low, at least for a little while." She hated that her first instinct was to secret it away like a source of shame. With as happy as he made her feel, she wanted nothing less than to parade him around with a 'property of' placard tied around his neck. "Immediately second to that is to just say nuts to it all and lean across the table to kiss you right now," she sighed, her heart clearly torn.

"I'm fine either way, Carrots." And it was the honest, simple truth. He was him, and she was, well, _her…_ Night, day, fire, ice, and all manner of other comparisons that could and definitely would be made between them in the future. Assumptions and what would more than likely be a handful of accusations were sure to spring towards them at the first public notice of their relationship, so keeping things between them would definitely be the smarter choice.

"We've still got the rest of the week before we have to go back to the 'real world'," she began to ponder aloud, her thoughts tracing a line that was very familiar to the both of them, "so we don't have to decide right now. Just felt like we should start thinking about it." She was never the type to be caught off guard if she couldn't help it, and this was no different. Very few experiences with relationships of any kind were under her belt, so continuing to take everything part by part, development by development as methodically as possible ensured she would be able to keep on top of things. At least, she hoped so. She wasn't so blind as to not know that things like this were a matter of both heart and mind, and straying too far in one direction or the other was sure to send things careening off track, perhaps irreparably so. A large part of her was hoping that Nick would work his usual magic and find some way to counterbalance her. She was aware that her usual analytical approach was distinctly at odds with his more…

She blinked, the correct word evading her. What word _could_ be used to describe the indescribable way Nick Wilde carried himself? He was cocksure, yet reticent; calculating, yet spontaneous; suave, yet not above being adorably clumsy. There was no single word that could neatly tie together everything that made him what he was _._

She felt it was important that she find the right word, as though her heart was telling her that everything would start to make sense if only she could put a label to it.

"Remember how I said not all foxes were as lucky as me?"

It was a little bit more cryptic than the questions they had been asking, and asked like he had something he was ashamed of tucked just out of sight. It served the purpose of drawing her out of her mind admirably, if a bit unceremoniously. She nodded.

Nick smiled, not breaking eye contact. "Three O'clock."

It took her a moment, but she was able to cotton on to what he was saying. Looking where he'd indicated, she at first found nothing notable. There was a fox sitting with what looked like his date a few tables away from them, but this didn't strike her as particularly noteworthy. His suit was fit a bit poorly, but if it was Nick's tailor genes that were responsible for him calling out the other fox, then she didn't quite grasp the point.

"Watch his right hand."

She turned her head back to Nick to remain inconspicuous, but skeptically kept her eyes trained on the other.

The other fox and his date were chatting back and forth. His hand, which had been resting on his knee beneath the table, snaked smoothly into one of the pouches on the waitresses apron before returning back to his knee, know closed into a fist.

"Why that sneaky-" she made to get up, set on confronting the would-be pickpocket and making him return whatever it was he'd stolen, but Nick's hand atop hers stopped her.

"Still probably better if we keep a low profile, don't you think?" He pleaded gently. He didn't like it any more than she did, but there was very little they could do that wouldn't jeopardize their original purpose for being in the hotel. "We haven't heard from any of the other bosses besides Big, and that's a good thing, means they're ok with us being here. They're all still probably nervous, but we haven't given them a reason to come talk to us. Let's not give them a reason by arresting someone, yeah?"

Her lips grew tightly together as the wrestled with the validity of what he was saying. There was truth to it, she couldn't argue with that, but was there nothing that they could do? Sitting and watching from the sidelines was never her style, and this left a bad taste in her mouth.

"How did you even notice something like that?" She asked, at a loss.

"Well, first off, he was a fox." He spoke softly, fully aware of the weight of what he was saying.

She looked like she'd been slapped "How can you say that after everything we just-"

He gripped her hand in his, his eyes asking for a chance to explain himself.

She almost didn't want to give him that chance. Whether he was right or not didn't matter; how could he say something like that?

"Sneaky fox sense was tingling." Truthfully, it hurt him just as much to have said it. Sizing up marks had become second nature to him over the years, and he found it difficult to turn off that part of his brain when he was scanning a crowd. It had come in handy on several occasions during his newfound career as an officer, but it still held within it the capability to get him into trouble, as was currently evident. "Normally, you'd be right. He would have been just another fox, but the guy kept setting off alarm bells. Suit? Doesn't fit right. Obviously rented."

Judy kept her head turned towards him, but let her eyes drift back to the mammal in question.

"Date? Uninterested. Body language is off. She's part of it too, I'd wager."

"And you started paying attention to him just because he was a fox?"

"Call it a competitive instinct that I haven't been able to shake." Where he grew up, another fox doing 'fox' things near where you yourself were doing 'fox' things was never good for business. "Remember what I said earlier, about foxes and luck. The city has come a long way - a lot of it thanks to you - but some mammals will never get the chance to dream bigger."

"So why did you?" She challenged.

"I didn't want to. Not at all. Didn't we just go over that?"

Judy withdrew her hand from his and used it to prod at her temples. "Right," she took a deep breath. "Right. So where were we?" She shook her head, hoping she could refocus her thoughts back to wherever they were before she got distracted. Part of her wishes he'd never pointed the other fox out. She could have gone on being happy and oblivious to everything except how happy she was, but she knew that was nothing more than a selfish desire. Despite everything unexpected that had transpired and developed between them, it wasn't their purpose for being here. They were on official ZBI business and should be conducting themselves as such, and she was disappointed in herself that she let that focus start to drift away.

She blinked, and then found her eyes once again caught by those of the fox sitting across from her.

...It wasn't the reason why they were here, but it was still equally as important. Chief Bogo would get his observational report, but that didn't mean it was the only thing they had to focus on. Professional, but not _too_ professional, right? Wasn't that exactly why they were sharing lunch?

Before she could process that thought any further, an echo of something she'd just thought began to bounce back to her, slamming her mind to a halt.

Chief Bogo.

Nick had picked up his glass, but nearly dropped it as Judy belted out the heartiest, most full bodied " _FUCK_ "he had ever heard.

She quickly clapped her hands around her mouth, her eyes going wide as the restaurant around them drew silent. Somewhere in the distance, the sound of a dropped plate.

Nick glanced nervously around as the others seated around them slowly went back to minding their own tables. The sounds of the restaurant slowly began to fade back in to full volume. "Uh, Judy? You alright there?"

"Bogo," she mumbled from between her fingers, her eyes staring right through him.

"...Bogo? What about-" He stopped mid sentence. "...Oh. Oh, fuck, we're going to have to tell Bogo about 'us', aren't we?"

It was all she could do to nod.

"Well that is going to be an absolutely wonderful conversation, isn't it." He realized he still had his glass in his hand and took another sip before setting it back down. He fiddled with the coaster momentarily to give himself time to order his thoughts. Unfortunately, they remained distinctly un-ordered. He coughed. "We've got all week to figure out what we're going to say. Let's, uh, not let this throw too much of a damper on it?" He asked, quietly hopeful. The last thing their fledgeling relationship needed was to immediately be thrown into turmoil because of some workplace scandal.

Judy buried her face further into her hands with a groan. How on earth could she have forgotten _Bogo_ of all mammals? She wiped roughly down her face, shaking her head. "I'll try not to worry about it, but would should probably start thinking about what we're going to say, right?"

Nick folded his arms in front of him on the table, leaning forwards. "What would you suggest?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, maybe we could… not? Maybe not tell him? No. No no no." She quickly shot down her own thought. "He'd figure it out on his own eventually and I do _not_ want him to be the one that approaches us about it first. It'd look like we were trying to hide something-"

"Which we would be."

She glared at him, not breaking pace in what she was saying. "- _Shameful._ It'd look like we were trying to hide something shameful, is what I was going to say. I don't want anyone to get the idea that I'm ashamed of what is happening," she concluded. "Which I'm not."

"And that brings us right back around to how open you want to be about everything," Nick pointed out, bringing the frustratingly circular nature of their conversation back to light.

She rubbed at the bridge of her nose. "I know. It doesn't need to just be a _me_ decision, though. Feel free to chime in." She looked up at him weakly. "Please?"

Nick took a deep breath before reaching across the table to take her free hand in one of his own, squeezing it gently. It wasn't much, but it was as far a display of public affection as he could allow without first hashing out the final details. "I said I'd be ok with whatever, and I meant it. I'm a patient guy; I waited this long to get you, I can wait however much longer it takes to be able to show it in public."

"Thanks, but that's just about the cheesiest thing anybody has ever said to me." She smirked, but was quietly grateful. This relaxing vacation getaway was becoming a much larger source of emotional turmoil than she'd anticipated, and she thought she'd prepared for the worst. She never expected things to have turned out like they did between her and the fox, especially not as quickly as they had. She had always been the type of mammal to go into an unusual situation or new set of circumstances with a well thought out and rehearsed plan.

Another instance of balance, she mused as she smiled back at her partner. In her newfound quest to find a word to describe the incorrigible fox - not counting 'incorrigible', though she may come back to that one later - she added 'contradictory' to the pile as a frontrunner. Even that, as her best attempt so far, landed squarely off the mark.

Contradictory implied inconsistent or incongruous behavior or traits, the analytical part of her mind argued, neither of which fit the fox. His consistency in personality was perhaps her one saving grace towards furthering her understanding of him. She had a foundation that she could start to build off of in her knowledge, if nothing else, and a frame of reference to compare new information about him to if it came down to it.

She wanted to sit him down, get him all liquored up, and then pick apart everything that made him tick in exacting, excruciating detail.

And therein lay her own contradiction. She wanted to understand him - to really, _really_ understand him - but she couldn't deny that there was a part of her that found the mystery alluring. Every new story or small detail about his past life was captivating in a way that nothing had ever been to her before, and she was reluctant to admit that she was worried about losing that.

She took a deep breath, settling her thoughts back to where they needed to be. There would be plenty of time to address her conflicting desires for information later, though she had to admit that the list of things to take care of 'later' was rapidly expanding. She felt she'd been doing a pretty good job of checking things off of that list here recently, but, like cutting off the head of a hydra, every item removed left room for two more to take its place.

She found that no words came readily to her, but she didn't have to flounder in uncertainty for long, for Nick, as he often did, read the situation and took matters into his own hands.

He brought her hand towards her and firmly kissed her knuckles, letting their contact linger for just a moment. It was a simple gesture, but it did wonders to calm her fraying nerves as she began to realize just what all was left to discuss, discover, or otherwise set in order in the coming future.

She took yet another breath, this one doing a better job of steadying her. "Thanks," she whispered, just loud enough for him to hear.

"Ask another question."

She looked up at him questioningly.

"Ask another question," he repeated, gentler this time. "It'll help calm you down."

She sheepishly brushed down her ears with her free hand. "Geez, is it that obvious?" She huffed, steeling herself back up. "Alright," she nodded, "how open do you want to be with our relationship? And don't say it's up to me. I want to hear what you think."

Nick smiled as she tacked that last part on. He hadn't planned on dodging in the event she asked again, but he appreciated how she had the forethought to block his escape either way.

Judy blinked as he released her hand. It felt cold in his absence, and left her wondering if she'd said something wrong. Her confusion was compounded when Nick stood up from his chair and circled the small table around to her.

Uncertainty flashed in her eyes as he knelt down to her level, but she didn't have to worry for long as he closed the distance between them, meeting her lips with his once more. Where before there had been passion and adoration, this kiss told her, in a way that words never could, that everything was going to be ok. It was comforting and reassuring in a way that was completely alien to her, and it was a new entry in the list of things she had never expected to experience that Nick had given her.

Their kiss broke, and Nick took her hand back in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. He arched an eyebrow. "Answer your question?"

As soon as she remembered how to breath, she laughed quietly to herself. "Yeah," she offered simply as he returned to his seat "Is it really such a good idea though? To be so open about it so soon?"

"It's an awful idea," he admitted with a rolling laugh, "but you asked how open I wanted to be, not whether or not I thought it was a good idea."

Once again, she couldn't help but laugh at the straightforward logic the fox across from her exhibited, nor could she fault it. It made her realize that one of the major roots of her concern wasn't their public relationship status in itself, but instead the conflict that existed within her over what she wanted to do and what she felt needed to be done. It was a problem she was very well acquainted with, but had very little experience satisfactorily resolving. She had almost exclusively only ever done what she felt needed to be done, often to personal detriment, but she could always comfort herself in the knowledge that she was helping others.

The matter now, however, was different in that same maddening way that everything this week had been different.

She couldn't frame her decision with altruism this time, as it solely affected her. It was a problem that had cropped up very rarely in her life, and even rarer still had those instances carried with them the same potential impact.

"You know how I feel," Nick began. "Now it's your turn."

She looked up at him, finding momentary respite in his eyes before trudging back into the turmoil of her own mind. The fact that this was such a difficult decision disappointed her. Nick, for what was quite possibly the very first time in his entire life, was taking the initiative and wearing his heart on his sleeve for potentially everyone to see. That was _not_ Nick. That had _never been_ Nick. Nick had lived his entire life playing everything as closely to his chest as he could, always making sure he had the upper hand. Never once had he gone out of his way and put himself in such a public position where any potential consequences were completely out of his control.

She knew exactly how he felt, and for once it was because he had explained it all on his own. Nothing hidden, nothing secreted away or tucked behind layers of tricky wording… He had kissed her in a very public display, letting her know without question how he wanted to proceed.

In a way, his subversion of one of his basest traits fit who he was perfectly. Impulsive and unrehearsed, yet opening himself up to vulnerability that he would have never allowed to occur in the past. He hadn't changed at all, but, as with their first kiss, everything was different.

 _Different_ took its place among the words she would use to describe him, yet she knew it would fall short once she gave it further attention. Examining it any deeper now, however, would only serve to distract her even more.

She at last came to a conclusion. One that, even though the conflict had existed for only a few minutes at most, she felt was long overdue.

"C'mere…" She breathed softly, smiling up at him as she leaned across the table. It was a bit of a stretch, but she was able to reach the midpoint between them. Nick's smile broadened as he cottoned on to her intention and met her across the table, kissing her once more. Soft, short lived, reaffirming.

"So what now?" She asked, retaking her seat. There was bound to be something else crop up that would need their attention sooner or later. Probably before the end of the day if current patterns held true. This past week had been a never-ending whirlwind of personal revelation and soul-seeking for both parties, and neither one of them expected that to stop any time soon. Bogo was the issue looming largest now, but tucked just beneath the horizon were a litany of other potential problems and differences that would need to be sorted and ordered before things could progress further.

This was the beginning of something that held within it great potential, and while neither one of them wanted to rush it they had both learned their lesson in regards to letting things build.

For Nick, this was a new chapter in a book whose pages had long ago been stained black. For Judy it was new book entirely, one which she had imagined from a young age would always remain shelved.

* * *

' _What now'_ turned out to be a simple matter of ' _where next'._ While it could have been interpreted as an attempt at a segue into some new exploratory conversation about them and various shared or perhaps differing intentions, they unspokenly agreed to use it to continue their day. They had paid for their meal, tipped well thanks to the fine contributions of the ZBI, and been on their way, off to discover what else the resort held in store for them as they sought to waste out the time left before the gala to come in the following evening.

Ostensibly to scout out portions of the hotel that they hadn't got around to visiting yet, their newest walk through the hotel carried with it the added benefit of allowing Nick to check off a number of things he'd decided he wanted to do on their first day there.

Next on their list, his satisfaction evident in his enormous smile as he stood in front of the multicolored neon signs adorning the outside of their stop, was a visit to the arcade.

Located right on the border between the wooded district of the hotel that they had spent most of their time in and the colder polar district, the arcade was a large two-story affair that stretched the better part of fifty yards in every direction, with every square inch occupied by one game or another. Everything from humble single player cabinets from decades past all the way up to sprawling full motion contraptions that were on the bleeding edge of interactive gaming technology were all represented, both coexisting on the floor with one not drawing too much attention away from the other.

It wasn't a place that Judy had any real interest in, as she hadn't grown up in a time or place that had let her experience, as Nick called it, the 'wonders' of the arcade. Even Nick himself had never experienced something quite as extensive as this, as his dealing with arcades in his younger years were mostly limited to small, dimly lit rooms tucked away in the back of buildings, choked with smoke as every mammal inside sucked down cigarette after cigarette. It was where he had initially started smoking himself, but he'd keep that story tucked away for now, as he had a feeling Judy would eventually end up asking about it anyway now that the cat was out of the bag. He smiled inwardly, wondering when exactly he'd get the lecture he was expecting.

As foreign as it was to both of them, a sense of nostalgic familiarity instantly flooded through Nick the second he stepped through the door, an uncountable number of lights and sounds all competing for his attention washing over him at once as he entered what he could already tell was a new personal nirvana. He quickly scanned the first few rows, a smile plastered across his face the entire time, and enthusiastically made his way to one machine in particular, beckoning Judy to follow.

She followed after him with a smile of her own as she sidled up next to him at the machine, hopping up onto a stool he pulled into place as he hastily fished his room card out of his back pocket. All the machines, both new and old alike, had been fitted with card-readers where a coin door would normally be located, allowing you to swipe your room card and have the cost of the game added to your room bill. Thanks to Nick upgrading their room to a suite at the start of their stay, one of the perks that he was happiest to learn about was that his special key allowed him unlimited play at the arcade, with no further costs associated. If left to his own devices, he'd probably be able to come out with money saved, even taking into account the large increase in cost the upgrade had brought with it.

"So what's this one?" Judy asked, making sure her voice was loud enough to be heard over the thrum of activity around them. Nick swiped his card and took up position next to her, grinning the whole time.

He went on to explain as the game started up, going into this detail and that about what to expect, with a healthy amount of bragging about how he was able to beat it single handedly back when it first came out, but she was only partly paying attention.. The way he was so energetic in his explanation and quick rundown of how to play distracted her from the game itself. It was very rare that he ever got this excited about something, and it reminded her about how he was acting as they approached Eddie's food truck earlier in the week, though this time without the veil of hesitation. There was so, _so_ much about his past that was still left to discover, and this cabinet was another portal back for him.

 _Mystery_ joined her roster of potential descriptors, though she aimed to make this a short lived addition. Nothing about him was left hidden, and it was now only a matter of asking the right questions.

They continued to play for several minutes, both of them controlling a turtle with a ninja weapon as they made their way through the various stages set in different time periods. Judy died more than a handful of times as she worked to get a feel for the controls, but it was of little consequence, as Nick could swipe his card to resurrect her as many times as needed to be done without a second thought.

Judy found herself enjoying it a lot more than she expected to, letting the bright colors and frantic gameplay draw her in. The action was quick enough that she didn't have to focus too long or too hard on any one part for long, and before she knew it half an hour had passed as they finally cleared the last stage. Nick let out a 'whoop!' as the victory splash screen scrolled by, then started dragging her to the next machine he'd spotted while playing.

It went on like this for some time. Nick lead the way for the most part, but Judy directed their path on more than one occasion as different sections of the arcade caught her eye.

They'd intended to continue scouting out a larger portion of the hotel with what was left of their time today, but that was abandoned and pushed to the wayside as they let themselves enjoy their first real outing together.

The first few days of any relationship are universally fraught with uncertainty, and this was their first chance to get away from it all and enjoy each other's company for nothing more than what it was. They both lead each other by the hand as they made their rounds, the cacophony of lights and sounds around them drowning out everything except each other. In a way, the noise coalesced together to form a blessed silence, the first that either of them had experienced in the past week. There was no subtext to pick apart, no great revelations to be made, no accidental worries to brush against with a question too many… No greater concern existed than what to play next.

Every smile together at a shared victory, every playful shove at a hard earned defeat, it all added up to something wonderful. What was perhaps more wonderful still was the fact that they both, in whatever capacity they could, realized it.

Peace, joy, and losing yourself in the moments that let you forget to be broken.

Moments like these always run the the risk of flying beneath the radar, leaving the participants no better off than had they not experienced any of it. This was not the case with Nick and Judy. Both had been in such a desperate need of a distraction that every second they spent together in this sea of light and sound washed away even more of the tension and anxiety that had permeated them. This week had been one event after another piling up into an insurmountable obstacle that neither one of them knew how to tackle, but the arcade, as simple as it was in concept, showed them what was just on the other side of the mountain.

When they eventually reached the end of this week and were thrust back into the world of day to day living, they now knew what to expect. What's more, they now knew what was possible.

Their life shared, should they be lucky enough, would be worth any amount of hardship or turmoil if it meant an endless number of days like these.

* * *

Day had dragged into afternoon, afternoon into evening, and now evening into night.

So it was that they found themselves at the end of their day, disembarking the glass elevator and entering their room. Both pleasantly exhausted, as they had spent far longer in the arcade than initially intended, but neither of them would have done anything differently if given the chance.

It had been a familiar sort of odd; they had spent so many days together in the past that mirrored what they had just shared, but not a single one of them had felt so viscerally impactful to both heart and soul. Perhaps it was a product of their assignment, which had both officers hyper alert looking and listening for anything that was out of the ordinary. Perhaps it was the sheer scale of the arcade, where they had managed to get lost for hours, never at a loss for new things to do or play.

For once, she actually knew the answer to the question her heart presented her. Judy plopped down on the couch, reclining rearwards, knowing exactly why it had felt as it had. It was no matter of location or circumstance, but instead something far more ethereal that was becoming clearer and clearer with every passing moment spent with Nick.

The fox in question sat down next to her, kicking his feet up and out to rest them on the coffee table. "Feeling up for another movie? We can order room service or drinks or whatever in a bit too, if you want."

She perked at his mention of drinks, remembering the gift basket they had been given earlier in the day.

Nick fiddled with the remote as she hopped over and away, looking for the basket. Finally managing to turn the TV on, he started thumbing through the list of movies available to stream. He was sure it would turn out like the last one they had watched together, where it served only as background noise to the wars being fought in each other's minds, but it at least had the be the _right kind_ of background noise. A clinking sound from his left grabbed his attention.

Standing there, she held a bottle of expensive champagne in one hand and two stemmed glasses in the other, posed as a question. "As a cap?"

Nick smiled back. "Absolutely."

She set the glasses down on the coffee table before tending to the bottle. Struggling only briefly with the cork, the final few twists of the key sent it flying off to the other side of the room with a resounding 'pop'.

She filled Nick's glass first, handing it to him before filling her own. She sat down on the couch and settled into the crest of his side in what was now a familiar position.

Nick tossed the remote to the floor, not willing to sit forwards to place it on the coffee table. Neither one of them would remember what movie it was that was chosen.

Judy's mind, now that it wasn't having to focus on continuing a conversation or ordering a never ending list of questions, was free to roam about freely. She found it drifting back to their lunch earlier in the day, before they'd gone to the arcade. It was fairly standard as those sorts of things went, but one aspect in particular had begun to press at her. In what had gone unnoticed to her at the time, a rather significant first had occurred. She was too busy fretting and worrying about the ever-growing number of things they would have to deal with in the coming days and weeks to notice it, but it's existence pestered and probed at her over the course of the day. She was at first unable to place what it was exactly that was trying to stand out to her, but it finally made itself known on the elevator ride back up to their floor.

Nick had instructed her to ask a question.

Realization had dawned slowly, and only now was it beginning to fully sink in. He had, up until that point, carefully curated everything that he told her, feeding her a calculated trail of breadcrumbs to only reveal what he wanted to reveal, but, in an instant that the had missed, all of that had changed. Nick had, with absolutely no attention or fuss brought to the fact, removed his final safeguards and opened himself fully up to her, placing her firmly in control for the first time. It was an invitation, one he had never extended to anyone else, for her to know anything that she wanted.

The final barrier had fallen. Nick and everything that made him such was now completely laid bare to her, and it was now only a matter of interpretation.

 _Open_ was at long last added to her list of words. She felt like she was honing in on something- the final piece of the puzzle that would clear the last vestiges of fog that clouded her.

She sipped at her champagne. It was obviously of exceptional quality, far out of the price range of either of them on their fair if somewhat meager salaries. She'd have to remember to thank the shrew when she saw him tomorrow.

"Today was fun," she said, turning to look at him with a smile. He matched her smile with one of his own, answering with a nod.

"It's been a long time since I've had that much fun," he replied after a few seconds more, a pleasantly tired quality to his voice. His eyes met hers as his smile broadened.

Once more, a look was all that was required.

Judy found it. The word she had been looking for since she had first gotten to know the fox all that time ago had eluded her for so long, and all it had taken was one day shared with all barriers removed.

A simple word, though often misused or thrown around loosely with little regard to its true weight in meaning. It was the most beautiful concept she could imagine, and she felt certain it was the only word that could ever describe what he was, for how could anything else possibly come close?

Perfect. Nick Wilde, the fox who had grown up on the streets, the fox who had endured the overwhelming hopelessness of a city that didn't care only to come up on the other side the antithesis of everything he once was, the fox who was the polar opposite of her in nearly every way, was perfect.

It was the final domino left to fall in a long chain that had first started toppling on that bench waiting for a Zuber those short few days ago. As it fell, she came to one final conclusion. The separate warring partitions of her mind ordered themselves unbidden, allowing everything to come sharply into focus for the first time in her life. No longer was she searching for answers she feared she would never find. No longer was she fighting between what she wanted to do and what needed to be done, because for the first time in her life they were one and the same.

Her eyes hadn't left his, nor did she ever want to let them. Unguarded soul met unguarded soul for the first time. There was no trepidation or layer of uncertainty to cloud them.

Her fragile smile grew ever so slightly as she found the words she wanted to say. Words that didn't leave the slightest room for doubt or equivocation. Words that conveyed everything she would ever need to say to him…

"I love you."

 _ **Author's Note**_ _ **:**_

 _Y'know what? I'm gonna open up a bit for this one. I start each and every chapter of this thing absolutely terrified that I've exhausted all the ideas I'm going to have. I worry that, before each new part I upload, that the only good chapter was the one that came before it, and that there will be no way that I can maintain any semblance of quality in my writing (this is of course implying that there was ever any quality to it in the first place, but that's neither here nor there). However, each and every time I sit down to write, everything falls into place. I remember why I love these characters so much in the first place, and each and every interaction they have comes effortlessly whether it goes in the direction I wanted it to or not. I didn't intend to somehow stretch two days of a seven day stay into 80k+ words, but it's what happened. Intention is a funny thing like that. Don't really know where I'm going with this. It's really late. I'm really tired. I'm listening to Lo-Fi and feeling really emotional right now, especially because I'm writing this immediately after finishing the final parts of this chapter. I'll go back and edit later before I upload this, but something told me to get all this out and written down. Maybe it'll make sense to me tomorrow. Maybe I'll delete it all._

 _I sincerely love each and every one of you reading this right now, and I say that with every scrap and shred of sincerity that I can fold into it._

 _Let's all keep loving this crazy thing called Zootopia, yeah?_

 _Oh, look at that. I'm crying._


End file.
